Christian Eriksen returned to training on Monday following a five-week-long spell on the sidelines with a knee injury.
The experienced midfielder’s last outing came on November 11, when Manchester United overturned Luton Town with a narrow 1-0 victory at Old Trafford. Eriksen was unable to see out the win after sustaining his injury in the first half, being subsequently replaced by Mason Mount.
With Eriksen, Mount and Casemiro all unavailable, Erik ten Hag has called upon youngster Kobbie Mainoo to test the 18-year-old’s resolve in the senior squad, granting him three Premier League starts since November 26 – and it’s safe to say he’s thoroughly impressed all who’ve watched him.
With the Dane’s return seemingly imminent, it remains to be seen how Ten Hag will shuffle his squad over the coming weeks. Early Carabao Cup and European exits mean significantly fewer fixtures for United in the second half of the campaign, which bodes well on the injury front, but could dent players’ morale if they’re not granted frequent game-time.
Eriksen, 31, could feature in some form on Saturday when the Reds make the trip to London to face West Ham United.
Eriksen reacts to impending return to action
Speaking to MUTV recently, he was quizzed on his comeback to action.
“Yeah, I hope so [that I’ll pull the shirt on again soon]. Like you said, it was the first part in training with the team [on Monday] and it felt good, so it’s going well.
“I think it’s always annoying to be on the side, no matter for how long and definitely now. When it takes a little bit longer than you wished for, then obviously it’s hard, but no, I was eager to come back as soon as I could.”
“[We need] to make sure that everyone is personally fit and ready to go and then the manager obviously will take the decision,” Eriksen added. “The first aim though, is to be back, definitely.”
