How Christian Eriksen Could Fit In At Manchester United Under Erik Ten Hag

Manchester United have announced the signing of Christian Eriksen on a three-year deal, and the playmaker will be a great addition to Erik ten Hag's side.

Eriksen is a versatile player and could play in a few different positions at United under Ten Hag. The 30-year-old’s versatility gives Ten Hag a few different options when it comes to picking United’s starting line-up next season.

The first role that Eriksen could have at United is playing as a number 10. This is the type of role that, when people think of Christian Eriksen, they most associate him with.

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Playing behind the striker as a number ten would increase Eriksen’s effectiveness in and around the penalty box. Eriksen is very good at short, sharp passes, and can be very effective in linking up with teammates inside the opposition penalty box.

As well as being highly skilled when it comes to intricate short passes, the Dane is renowned as one of the best passers of the ball. He can play line-breaking passes along the ground, and long balls over the top for attackers to run on to. This could be lethal when you have the likes of Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho on the end of these passes.

Last season, Eriksen was one of the best progressive passers in Europe, playing an average of 6.23 progressive passes per 90 minutes, and ranking in the 93rd percentile. He also had 0.38 assists per 90 minutes, exceeding his expected assists of 0.35 per 90 minutes. Both of these figures mean that Eriksen ranks in the 99th percentile.

Playing as a 10 and being able to pick passes to the striker and wingers, mean Eriksen would be able to create multiple goalscoring opportunities for United each game.  

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Eriksen will also regularly be in a position to shoot from range, another strength of his. Some of the best goals in his career have come from outside the box, and the Dane is not afraid to try his luck from distance.

Last season, the average distance he took a shot from was 23.2 yards. Whilst not all of these shots will go in, there is still a possibility for a rebound to fall to a United player, or, of course, for Eriksen himself to find the back of the net.

An alternative role Eriksen could take up next season for United is to play out wide on either the left or right hand side. In an Erik ten Hag 4-2-3-1 system, Eriksen’s role would differ, depending on what side he plays on.

At Ajax, Ten Hag often started two wingers who have the same strong foot. Most recently, this was Dusan Tadic and Antony, two left-footed players. Antony would play on the right-hand side as an inside forward, cutting in on his left foot. Tadic would play on the left-hand side, drifting into the half spaces and linking play with his teammates.

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It is worth bearing in mind that, with the amount of right-footed attacking players United have, Ten Hag’s set-up would switch around to accommodate right-footed players.

Out of these two roles, arguably the one that would suit Eriksen the most is the one on the right-hand side, in the Tadic-style role. Playing here would allow Eriksen to occupy the half spaces on the right-hand side.

As previously established, Eriksen has excellent vision and, is statistically one of the best passers in Europe. Similarly to when he is playing as a 10, Eriksen can find runners off him, whether that is the central striker, an overlapping fullback or another player.

The other reason why Eriksen could thrive in this role is because he is an exceptional crosser of the ball. There could be moments in the game when Eriksen decides to carry the ball further out wide and look for a cross.

Last season, the Dane completed eight crosses in the Premier League, excluding set-pieces. This is encouraging for United fans, considering the Reds' crossing has left a lot to be desired at times. 

The other position Eriksen could play in would be on the left-hand side, as an inside forward, cutting in on his right foot. However, this seems less likely, should Ten Hag continue to use a similar blueprint to the one he used at Ajax.

The inside forward used by Ten Hag at his former club was skilful winger Antony. The Brazilian enjoys the ball at his feet, running at defenders and cutting inside to either find a pass or take on a shot himself.

Whilst this is no doubt something Eriksen could do, it doesn’t necessarily play to his strengths. He is less renowned for his dribbling ability and averages 5.08 progressive carries per 90 minutes, which only places him in the 79th percentile overall.

It seems like a waste of Eriksen’s ability to use him as an inside forward.

This role suits players like Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Anthony Elanga much more. It is more likely that one of these four players will play in this role.

With the first game of the preseason tour on Tuesday 12th July, in Thailand against Liverpool, United will be hoping to have Eriksen signed and available for that game.