Micah Richards has praised Christian Eriksen's impact in the second half of Manchester United's defeat to Brighton at the weekend, claiming the Dane could be the ball-playing midfielder Erik ten Hag is looking for.
Despite leading the line in the first half, Eriksen dropped back in the second half as United chased down a two-goal deficit. United remain fiercely linked with a host of midfielders, including Frenkie de Jong and Adrien Rabiot.
Ten Hag worked with the former before his move to Camp Nou but has so far been unable to lure the Dutchman to Old Trafford. But Eriksen's performance during Sunday's loss could offer the manager an alternative to the 25-year-old.
READ MORE: United agree fee for Adrien Rabiot but face task of negotiating with his mother
De Jong remains Ten Hag's number one priority this summer as he looks to add a ball-playing midfielder to his ranks, but Richards has hinted that Eriksen could be a suitable alternative.
"I don’t like picking out players but they’re so naive in midfield, you’ve got Fred and [Scott] McTominay. McTominay should’ve been sent off, by the way, and then Fred goes to close someone down - fair play he tries to run back and stop the goal, but he’s not checked his shoulder once," Richards said on BBC's Monday Night Club. "I did like in the second half when Christian Eriksen dropped back into the pivot role and was dictating play.
"It’s just desperation, isn’t it? You get to this time of the window and you think Frenkie de Jong, it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. It might still happen, to be honest, might not, it’s not dead in the water but every day you read a different article and the situation with Barcelona."
NEXT UP:
