Football

Man United Endure Eriksen Injury Blow Ahead of Carabao Clash

Man United Endure Eriksen Injury Blow Ahead of Carabao Clash

Man United midfielder Christian Eriksen has been ruled out until April after sustaining an injury in his side’s FA Cup win over Reading earlier this week.

The Danish star was forced to leave the field of play after getting caught by an Andy Carroll tackle and left Old Trafford on crutches later that evening.

Though Man United enjoyed a 3-1 victory over their Championship opponents, the news of Eriksen’s injury is less favorable as he is set to be out for the bones of two months at the very least.

The club announced the news of the Danish player’s injury via a statement released on Tuesday.

“While investigations are continuing, initial assessments indicate that Eriksen is likely to be out until late April or early May,” Man United announced on their club website today.

The 30-year old Dane has been a key starter for United under new manager Erik ten Hag this season and has recorded seven assists and one goal in 19 Premier League games in 2022/23.

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Ten Hag’s Response to Injury

Red Devils boss Ten Hag has admitted that though he has players capable of coming into his starting lineup, Eriksen’s quality will be hard to live up to.

“He’s disappointed and we’re disappointed, but it happens in top football. You have to deal with it,” said Ten Hag in a press conference ahead of Man United’s Carabao Cup clash with Nottingham Forest this week.

“We have players in midfield, good players, who can fill the gap. Every player has their own characteristics and identity,” the United boss said, “Eriksen brings top quality to our squad and some characteristics are hard to replace, for instance his quality in the final third.”

The Red Devils boss also spoke about the possibility of Brazilian international Fred coming in to replace the absent Eriksen.

“Fred’s playing with Casemiro in the Brazil squad, that’s not the worst squad in the world!” the manager said.

“They have so many choices they can make but they prefer to play them together. Fred can contribute a lot to the team,” Ten Hag explained, “He has a lot of qualities and I think Casemiro and Fred are a good partnership.”

Carragher’s View on Eriksen Injury

Regarding the news of Eriksen’s injury, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher said that the midfielder would be a big blow for the Manchester side as they look to secure some silverware this season.

“It’s a big blow because the midfield has been the biggest turnaround for Man Utd this season, with Casemiro being there, Eriksen alongside him and Bruno Fernandes in front of them,” Carragher said.

“Fred and Scott McTominay have been much maligned over the last couple of years. A lot of that has been harsh,” the ex-Liverpool defender said, “Fred alongside Casemiro – you’re talking about Brazil’s central midfield.”

“But Man Utd aren’t going to win the league and I don’t think they’re going to fall out of the top four, so it’s not going to massively affect them in terms of where they finish this season, there’s too big a gap between themselves, Arsenal and Man City.”

 


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