Erik ten Hag shuts down old Christian Eriksen ‘disrespect’ claim

Erik ten Hag has been singing the praises of Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen as he returns to the squad after a long-term injury.

Christian Eriksen experienced an ankle injury towards the end of January after a terrible tackle from striker Andy Carroll in the FA Cup.

The injury originally ruled Eriksen out until the end of April, with Erik ten Hag previously explaining he originally feared the Dane would not play again this season.

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However, after great recovery work by both Eriksen and the Manchester United medical staff, the midfielder returned to action on Saturday against Everton.

Shortly after his injury, former Manchester United defender Paul Parker claimed the lack of conversations around Christian Eriksen at the time was ‘disrespectful’ to the player.

“The blow of missing Christian Eriksen has been bigger than expected,” Parker said last month. “And the fact that no one is talking about it makes me feel that he is being disrespected.

“He is a very important player but no one notices it. He controls the pace of the game, he is the one to decide if Man United are going to attack or just relax on the ball.

“I would say that Man United is less capable of controlling games when he is not there. Fred and Sabitzer are brilliant players but they don’t have the same brain as he does.”

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Ten Hag, however, has since spoken about Eriksen’s impact on the side, dispelling Parker’s claim that Eriksen’s impact has gone unnoticed.

“I think the balance in the midfield was good with Casemiro, Eriksen and Bruno,” he said on Wednesday afternoon. “Casemiro the balance player, the line-up player, Eriksen can support him but also go to the final part of the game, can create chances with key passes.

“So yeah, a really important player and I think he had seven or eight assists in the league, which tells the story.”

Christian Eriksen’s return to action saw him play in the final 10 minutes of Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Everton last Saturday.

While it likely may be too early for Eriksen to return to the starting XI as Manchester United face Sevilla in the Europa League, his impact on the rest of the season will no doubt be a positive one once he starts alongside Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes again.