‘I can confirm’: Manager reveals he’s been exchanging messages with experienced United ace he knows ‘well’

Christian Eriksen is amongst a host of Manchester United players facing uncertain futures at the club this summer.

Indeed, the experienced Dane has now entered the final 12 months of his contract at Old Trafford, having joined as a free agent following his Brentford release in 2022.

Eriksen became one of the first signings of Erik ten Hag’s tenure and proceeded to play an integral role in his debut United campaign alongside fellow experienced counterpart Casemiro. The former Tottenham Hotspur ace made 37 starts in all competitions across 2022/2023, while also navigating a lengthy knee injury setback from February through to April.

Yet, his sophomore term saw him forced to settle for a lesser role. The emergence of starlet Kobbie Mainoo, along with Scott McTominay’s impressive goalscoring form, led to Eriksen making only 14 starts in total.

You wouldn’t expect the situation to differ greatly after the summer, either, as not only will Mason Mount be fully fit and hoping to cement a place in the 11, but the club are actively targeting another midfield signing; they’ve been heavily linked with Paris Saint-Germain’s Manuel Ugarte and have agreed personal terms with the player.

Therefore, fans are expecting that Eriksen will move on in the coming weeks, especially given that he has his choice of suitors – Ajax, Galatasaray, and Anderlecht have all shown interest, the latter of which have been in direct contact with the 32-year-old due to his links with manager Brian Riemer.

Riemer was assistant to Thomas Frank at Brentford for four years, meaning he worked with the midfielder during the 2021/2022 term.

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He recently admitted to still being in contact with him, too, telling DH Net (cited by Manchester World): “Look, we are always looking for good players. Connections can mean something. But transfer periods are strange things.

“Last year, nobody could have expected Thorgan Hazard to be here until it happened on the last day. Just like with [Kasper] Schmeichel. Doors open and close quickly.” 

“I know Christian Eriksen well, yes,” Riemer continued. “We worked together at Brentford three years ago, and I still exchange messages with Christian regularly. I know that he is now at a training camp in LA with Man United. So I can confirm that he is not in Brussels!

“In general, I can say that Jesper Fredberg and the scouting are working day and night to get reinforcements, but it is not the case that you can just grab players off the shelf. It sometimes takes time to massage certain targets. At the end of the window, there is sometimes an opportunity like last season with Thorgan Hazard.”

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