Christian Eriksen will give Manchester United what they have been missing, says Danny Higginbotham

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New signing Christian Eriksen will give Manchester United what’s ‘been missing for a long time’ says former player Danny Higginbotham.

The pundit made his observation after watching Eriksen in action for United at Old Trafford against Rayo Vallecano in pre-season.

In his two brief pre-season showings, Eriksen has been a bright spark for United, helping to link the play effectively and playing incisive passes.

His set piece quality has also shone, with Harry Maguire missing a header from close range after Eriksen’s first corner in a United shirt had picked him out against Atletico Madrid.

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Eriksen will give Manchester United what’s been missing

Higginbotham regards the signing of Christian Eriksen as a ‘huge plus’ for United and feels he is a great fit for the club.

His comments about Eriksen’s willingness to drop deep to get in possession highlights a quality which could persuade Erik ten Hag to start him alongside Bruno Fernandes, rather than consider him purely as an alternative.

It’s unclear whether Erik ten Hag regards Eriksen or Lisandro Martinez as being fit enough to start United’s season opener. Neither have racked up as many minutes as their teammates, many of who played a part in four tour matches.

Brentford boss Thomas Frank said at the weekend it would be ‘impossible’ to replace a player of Eriksen’s quality, via the Mail.

Eriksen meanwhile has explained he helds talks over a move to United under previous managers.

The Dane told BBC Sport: “I’ve spoken to every manager who’s been here at Man United to see what the situation was, but the timing wasn’t there.

“I was at Spurs for a long time and wanted to try something abroad. I went to Inter and ended up having a lovely time. But then obviously something happened that changed the career path I had in mind. To be here is something I didn’t think could happen a year ago.

“I had good conversations with Manchester United. It was very positive from the first few phone calls and it felt like the club wanted me, so it was on for a long time.

“[Ten Hag’s presence] definitely helped. How he sees football and how he wants to play suits my style of play and how I developed as a player at Ajax many years ago.”