Christian Eriksen’s long-awaited move to Manchester United was finally completed on Tuesday, with the 30-year-old going through his media obligations before linking up with his new teammates.
An agreement to sign Eriksen was announced nearly two weeks ago but not in time for him to join the United squad on the tour of Thailand and Australia.
Speaking at his official unveiling, Eriksen admitted that he had not planned to return to the Premier League after leaving Tottenham in 2020, insisting that he never thought a move to United would happen.
Those plans changed, however, and he impressed supporters during his four-month spell at Brentford earlier this year. In one game against Norwich City, he clashed with United full-back Brandon Williams in a now-infamous incident, as seen below.
Wholesome content alert 🚨
Brandon Williams gave Christian Eriksen a warm welcome back to the Premier League, giving the Brentford man a hug after the players fell to the floor after a challenge ❤️ pic.twitter.com/86lAQ5qAjR
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 6, 2022
Footage courtesy of Sky Sports
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Williams was charging forward but dragged back by Eriksen and it looked like the United loanee was ready to scrap – until he realised that it was Eriksen who had fouled him. A wholesome moment ensued and Eriksen was asked about it in his first United interview.
“[Laughs] What do we call that – a connection?! Ah, okay, okay! [laughs again],” Eriksen is quoted as saying by the official Manchester United website.
“Yeah, you know I’ve played against everyone, I don’t think there’s one player I don’t know by name. So of course I’ve played against them all.
“I don’t have any players that I’ve played with before in the club so it’ll be a new thing. It’ll be fun to learn a lot of new faces, a lot of new players which I’ve seen and played against, but not to play with. It’s different, but it’s all about making a connection.”
SN’s verdict…
The pair will be getting to know each other a lot better over the coming weeks, with Williams still at United despite not being named in Ten Hag’s pre-season squad. It remains to be seen whether an exit is finalised before the September deadline.
Eriksen could make his first appearance for United as soon as this weekend. The Reds will face Atletico Madrid on Saturday before Ten Hag’s first Old Trafford game the following day.
The manager is likely to pick two different teams for the games and it will be fascinating to see which one he prioritises. In recent years, managers have opted for the strongest possible team in the annual Old Trafford rehearsal – as we last year against Everton.
I ll be sad 2 c Brandon Williams leave,he z everything i luv 2 c as a left fullback
Lol
it funny wen i watch the match it was like well willams will be yellow carded but i saw dem hugging so erikson welcome to old trafford