Christian Eriksen has not come to Manchester United to sit on the sidelines, judging by previous comments.
The 30-year-old has signed a three-year deal at Old Trafford to become Erik ten Hag’s second signing of the summer. He arrives as a free agent after his comeback spell at Brentford ended when his contract expired last month.
He grabbed four assists and netted against Chelsea in his short-term stay with the Bees and showed his class once again just seven months after his on-field cardiac arrest at Euro 2020.
READ MORE: Christian Eriksen explains why he's joining Manchester United
Eriksen is edging towards the twilight of his career, although he still has a number of years left in the tank, as United’s contract indicates. And it seems the player himself is determined to enjoy ample playing time at Old Trafford.
Upon arriving at Tottenham in 2013, he revealed he had been tracked by Manchester City while he was at Ajax and they had offered him a contract. However, he turned it down in favour of staying in Amsterdam for another year.
Speaking to the Mirror, he explained his career vow to never become merely a squad player at any club he was at. He said: “It took me a while to get to England because I said no a few times.
"Last summer, City really wanted to sign me, but it didn’t feel right. Maybe I wouldn’t have played there – I wouldn’t go to a club just to stay on the subs’ bench.”
Eriksen went on to outline his ethos of biding his time and waiting for the right opportunity when it comes to transfers. He added: “I didn’t feel ready for a league like the Premier League, and now it looks like I moved at the right time.
“A lot of players moved from Ajax in the last year and it gave me responsibility and made me grow. It made me better. It was exciting there, but you have to wait for the right club to come along.”
His comments infer that he expects to be frequently used by Erik ten Hag and hasn’t come to be a bit-part player. And as his opening comments as a United player detail, he clearly feels like a move to the Theatre of Dreams has come at the right time.
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