Man Utd strikers will be grateful for Eriksen's signing, says Ten Hag

Manchester United forwards in particular will welcome the arrival of new signing Christian Eriksen with his creativity from midfield, according to manager Erik ten Hag.

Eriksen turned down the chance to extend his short-term contract with Brentford and instead joined United on a three-year deal last Friday.

The Denmark international had an immediate impact on his return to the Premier League in the second half of last season, scoring once and assisting four in 11 appearances.

The 30 chances he created between his Bees arc in March and the end of the campaign were only bettered by Martin Odegaard (38) and Kevin De Bruyne (42).

Eriksen has also played for Ajax, Tottenham and Inter, where his time was cut short for medical reasons after suffering cardiac arrest at Euro 2020 last year.

He is yet to join his new teammates, who are on the Australian leg of their pre-season tour, but Ten Hag believes they will benefit from playing alongside the playmaker.

"He's an experienced player. He plays in foreign countries, in Italy, in Holland, in England for a long time, so he knows the Premier League," Ten Hag told United's official website.

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"It's an absolute advantage that we have him. I think he's a magnificent footballer and I think the fans will enjoy watching him.

"He's creative and he has ideas. Above all, I think our attackers will be happy because he's the one who can involve them in the game.

"The fact that we have him, we now have him in our team, says a lot, because I think we have been very selective.

"It was not the goal to have players, but the right players. I'm really happy that we succeeded with Christian Eriksen."

Eriksen created 2.88 chances per 90 minutes on average in the Premier League last season, compared to 2.57 for United's most creative player Bruno Fernandes.

Cristiano Ronaldo led United's goalscoring charts in the top flight last season with 18 goals, although Fernandes (10) was the only other to score double digits.

While Eriksen's arrival will help United in the final third, they have also strengthened at the back with the signing of Tyrell Malacia and the imminent arrival of Lisandro Martinez.

A £48m (€57m) deal is in place with Ajax for Martinez, up to £56.5m (€67m), which will see the defender versatile reunite with former Ajax boss Ten Hag.

"He's a warrior and I think the fans are going to look up to him. He's got an attitude, a fighting spirit," Ten Hag said when asked what fans can expect to see. from the Argentinian international.

"He brings aggression to the game, in a good way. I think we need that. But he's also skilful and he can handle the ball, and he's also left-footed.

"I think the Premier League is high intensity, with a lot of challenges. We need such players [with a fighting spirit].

"Some ideas he knows. That's clearly an advantage. But also he has to adapt, to a new country, a new club, new teammates. So also a lot of things will be different."

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Man Utd strikers will be grateful for Eriksen's signing, says Ten Hag

Manchester United forwards in particular will welcome the arrival of new signing Christian Eriksen with his creativity from midfield, according to manager Erik ten Hag.

Eriksen turned down the chance to extend his short-term contract with Brentford and instead joined United on a three-year deal last Friday.

The Denmark international had an immediate impact on his return to the Premier League in the second half of last season, scoring once and assisting four in 11 appearances.

The 30 chances he created between his Bees arc in March and the end of the campaign were only bettered by Martin Odegaard (38) and Kevin De Bruyne (42).

Eriksen has also played for Ajax, Tottenham and Inter, where his time was cut short for medical reasons after suffering cardiac arrest at Euro 2020 last year.

He is yet to join his new teammates, who are on the Australian leg of their pre-season tour, but Ten Hag believes they will benefit from playing alongside the playmaker.

"He's an experienced player. He plays in foreign countries, in Italy, in Holland, in England for a long time, so he knows the Premier League," Ten Hag told United's official website.

>

"It's an absolute advantage that we have him. I think he's a magnificent footballer and I think the fans will enjoy watching him.

"He's creative and he has ideas. Above all, I think our attackers will be happy because he's the one who can involve them in the game.

"The fact that we have him, we now have him in our team, says a lot, because I think we have been very selective.

"It was not the goal to have players, but the right players. I'm really happy that we succeeded with Christian Eriksen."

Eriksen created 2.88 chances per 90 minutes on average in the Premier League last season, compared to 2.57 for United's most creative player Bruno Fernandes.

Cristiano Ronaldo led United's goalscoring charts in the top flight last season with 18 goals, although Fernandes (10) was the only other to score double digits.

While Eriksen's arrival will help United in the final third, they have also strengthened at the back with the signing of Tyrell Malacia and the imminent arrival of Lisandro Martinez.

A £48m (€57m) deal is in place with Ajax for Martinez, up to £56.5m (€67m), which will see the defender versatile reunite with former Ajax boss Ten Hag.

"He's a warrior and I think the fans are going to look up to him. He's got an attitude, a fighting spirit," Ten Hag said when asked what fans can expect to see. from the Argentinian international.

"He brings aggression to the game, in a good way. I think we need that. But he's also skilful and he can handle the ball, and he's also left-footed.

"I think the Premier League is high intensity, with a lot of challenges. We need such players [with a fighting spirit].

"Some ideas he knows. That's clearly an advantage. But also he has to adapt, to a new country, a new club, new teammates. So also a lot of things will be different."

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