Paul Scholes urges Manchester United to start Christian Eriksen ahead of Sofyan Amrabat

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has urged manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to start Christian Eriksen ahead of Sofyan Amrabat in the midfield. Scholes believes Eriksen is a ‘better footballer’ than Amrabat and should be starting for United.

Eriksen was named Player of the Match after entering the fray at half-time during United’s 1-0 win against Copenhagen. He brought composure and creativity to United’s midfield when he came on from the bench, while Amrabat struggled to get on the ball during a good first half display from Copenhagen.

‘It felt like we were watching a Europa League game in the first half. Like a Thursday night. Poor,’ said Scholes. ‘Second half was a lot better but you bring the better footballers on. You bring Christian Eriksen on, a much better footballer. No disrespect to Amrabat, he’s a stopper he’ll do his kind of thing. But he won’t build up play. Christian Eriksen will. You saw the runs being made, all of sudden Fernandes is in the game, Garnacho too. Eriksen will find these players. For a 15-20 minute spell they looked like a proper team again.’

Ten Hag was similarly happy with Eriksen’s display, and praised the midfielder’s leadership. ‘Christian is always positive. He brings football and we did not have the football in the first-half – Copenhagen are well organised and you have to break them. Christian Eriksen makes the right passes.’

Christian Eriksen’s Career

Christian Eriksen is a Danish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Manchester United and the Denmark national team. He began his career at Dutch side Ajax, where he won four consecutive Eredivisie titles, two KNVB Cups and the Johan Cruyff Shield.

In 2013, he moved to Tottenham Hotspur for a reported fee of £11.5 million, making him the most expensive Danish footballer of all time. During his six-year spell at Spurs, he scored 69 goals and provided 89 assists in 305 appearances across all competitions.

In January 2020, Eriksen joined Manchester United on an 18-month contract for an initial fee of £27 million. He has since made 24 appearances for the club, scoring three goals and providing four assists.

Paul Scholes’ Opinion

Paul Scholes believes that Christian Eriksen is a better footballer than Sofyan Amrabat and should be starting in Manchester United’s midfield. Scholes believes that Eriksen brings composure and creativity to United’s midfield, while Amrabat is more of a stopper who won’t build up play.

Scholes said: ‘Second half was a lot better but you bring the better footballers on. You bring Christian Eriksen on, a much better footballer. No disrespect to Amrabat, he’s a stopper he’ll do his kind of thing. But he won’t build up play. Christian Eriksen will. You saw the runs being made, all of sudden Fernandes is in the game, Garnacho too. Eriksen will find these players. For a 15-20 minute spell they looked like a proper team again.’

Conclusion

Christian Eriksen has been impressive since joining Manchester United in January 2020, and Paul Scholes believes he should be starting ahead of Sofyan Amrabat in the midfield. Eriksen brings composure and creativity to United’s midfield, while Amrabat is more of a stopper who won’t build up play.

Eriksen has made 24 appearances for Manchester United so far, scoring three goals and providing four assists. He has also been praised by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for his leadership qualities.