Former Reds defender Wes Brown is delighted that Manchester United have signed Christian Eriksen on a free transfer.
The Danish playmaker was announced as Erik ten Hag’s second summer signing and the 30-year-old has signed a three-year contract with the Red Devils.
The former Brentford midfielder won’t join up with the rest of the squad Down Under but will instead build his fitness at Carrington.
Eriksen could well make his debut against Atletico Madrid in Olso, Norway, on Saturday, 30 July, or against fellow La Liga side Rayo Vallecano the following day in Ten Hag’s first match at Old Trafford.
Brown delighted that Manchester United have signed Christian Eriksen
After recovering from a cardiac arrest during last year’s European Championships, Eriksen played a pivotal and influential role in guiding Brentford to Premier League safety last season.
Having joined the Bees at the end of January following a spell training at Ten Hag’s Ajax, Eriksen scored one goal and provided four assists from 11 appearances.
Prior to Eriksen’s arrival at the Brentford Community Stadium, Thomas Frank’s side looked set to be involved in a relegation dogfight.
Prior to his first start for the west London outfit, Brentford had amassed 24 points from 27 games but from the ten games the Denmark man started they picked up a hefty 22 points.
Speaking to the UTD Podcast, two-time Champions League winner Brown spoke in glowing terms about Eriksen and the potential positive impact he can have on the Manchester United squad.
A buzzing Brown said: “I absolutely love that signing.
“What a fantastic player. A quality player. He’s also done it in the Premier League.”
The former Ajax, Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan man’s arrival will bolster Ten Hag’s midfield options.
Capable of playing as a number ten or deeper in midfield, the Denmark international will give United greater control while also carrying a goalscoring threat with his ability to score from range and carve out glorious chances.
Speaking about the impact he had at Brentford, Brown highlighted the qualities he’ll bring to Ten Hag’s United side.
The seven-time Premier League winner added: “When he went to Brentford, I’m telling you now he changed their team.
“He brought that extra little bit of quality, whether it was delivering into the box or could see a pass.
“He can keep the ball and he’s not scared of the ball as well. He came back into the Premier League and has done really well.”
After losing Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Nemanja Matic and Edinson Cavani all as free agents, the arrival of Eriksen will bring additional experience and quality to the United dressing room.
Brown believes the arrival or Eriksen will bring competition for places, but will also help make ‘everyone step up their game’.
The former Reds defender continued: “He’s got the experience [to play in the attacking midfield or deeper].
“We all know he plays a little bit higher, where Bruno [Fernandes] plays, but ultimately we don’t know what the manager’s thinking yet.
“Can he play somewhere else? The point is we have that rotation now.
“He makes the squad feel better and he makes everyone step up their game. When you get good players in you have to step your own games up if you want to play.
“Eriksen is the player that has the quality to make others do that. He’s very experienced and when we’ve seen him play, even his first spell in the Premier League with Tottenham, he was excellent.”
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