Jamie Carragher likened Manchester United's Christian Eriksen to former AC Milan and Juventus player Andrea Pirlo last season.
Eriksen was at Carrington on Tuesday for his first day of training under Erik ten Hag. The Dane was being driven by fellow new signing Lisandro Martinez, the pair have a mutual connection through their time spent at Ajax - although they never played together.
The 30-year-old Eriksen has made 237 appearances in the Premier League - scoring 52 goals and providing 66 assists in spells for both Tottenham and Brentford. It is this experience that Ten Hag will look to tap into as the Dutchman gets up to speed with the intensity of a campaign in England.
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A player's experience might well grow with age, but sacrifices often need to be made elsewhere to keep up with the younger players around them. Eriksen of course is in a unique position, as he now plays with an ICD (heart-starting device) since his cardiac arrest while playing for Denmark last summer.
Eriksen himself has said that it was a 'miracle' to be playing football again when he joined Brentford - and the Dane appears to have adopted a new tactical approach to his game, operating in a deeper position.
Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher picked up on this change in position from Eriksen during his time at Brentford. The pundit was speaking on after the Bees beat Norwich 3-1 in the Premier League earlier this year.
Carragher said: “He’s played deeper than we’d normally associate him [with] when he played for Tottenham, where he’s been more between the lines and tried to play the final pass. He was more of a playmaker.
“That’s maybe the way he’s now going to play. Almost when you think of players in the past, [he’s] maybe like an Andrea Pirlo who went deeper the longer he went on with his career and just made passes from there.”
The former Liverpool player was also impressed with the set piece ability of the midfielder and this could be something that Ten Hag looks to exploit at United next season.
Carragher added: “This is what he’s going to bring to that team. Precision on delivery.”
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