“Ask the manager” – Man United star’s frustrated response to game-time question under Erik ten Hag

Christian Eriksen received the Man of the Match award during Manchester United’s win over Copenhagen on Tuesday evening after being introduced at half-time.

It was all going wrong for Erik ten Hag’s side. They had no punch in their attacking plan, looking lost on the pitch, and were fortunate not to be behind after the visiting Danes struck the post early on in the game.

The Dutch manager looked to his bench during the break and replaced defensive midfielder Sofyan Amrabat with the more creative Christian Eriksen. Scott McTominay moved from his more advanced position to the pivot alongside the 31-year-old.

That change brought more control for The Reds, and with the later substitute of Alejandro Garnacho, there was also an increased threat in the final third.

Eriksen picked up the loose ball following a failed corner and delivered one of his pinpoint crosses that we’ve seen for a decade now. Harry Maguire was on the end of it to head home and score the only goal of the game.

Andre Onana’s late heroics, where he saved a last-minute penalty, and Maguire’s transformative turn in form took the headlines but Eriksen was also rewarded as he received the Champions League Player of the Match.

However, the midfielder has only started four games so far this season and some of those have been due to the injury crisis at Old Trafford at the moment.

With everyone fit, Eriksen’s chance of being in the starting team appears slim, and he expressed some frustration when questioned on why he’s continuing to feature amongst the substitutes and not in the line-up.

“Ask the manager why I’m starting on the bench, that’s out of my hands,” Eriksen told TNT Sports. “But obviously I want to play as much as possible. Obviously, the manager is looking the other way, but at the moment if you win like this, it’s worth it.”

When speaking to CBS Sports Golazo, the midfielder added: “It wasn’t the first time in the last few games that I’ve been starting on the bench and coming on at half-time, so I knew what to do. You want to start the game and do your thing but I tried to do my thing when I came on and tried to create something.”

United face up against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon and Eriksen will be hoping that his recent impact has earned him a chance to start that game.