Christian Eriksen’s return just months after suffering a cardiac arrest while playing at Euro 2020 has convinced Manchester United to offer him a contract.
The creative midfielder is available on a free transfer when his six-month deal with Brentford runs out on June 30. Eriksen impressed throughout his time in West London and his consistent form helped the team to a 13th-place finish in their first season in the English top flight. Brentford won seven of the 11 matches in which Eriksen played.
Eriksen said last month he’s considering his options, despite Brentford’s interest in extending his deal. According to The Athletic, Manchester United have the Dane among their priorities, as talks for Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong are stalling at the moment.
Talking to Viaplay, Eriksen said “I would love to play Champions League football again. I know how much fun it is, but it’s not essential to me. I have different offers and options, which we are considering. We will make a decision,” he stressed.
Manchester United’s new boss, Erik ten Hag, is an avid admirer of Eriksen’s qualities, as is Tottenham boss Antonio Conte. Conte wants Eriksen to join him after coaching him for a year-and-a-half at Inter Milan.
Where will Eriksen end up?
On June 12, 2021, Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest while playing for Denmark against Finland at Euro 2020. He was resuscitated on the pitch, then spent time in the hospital for recovery and had a cardioverter-defibrillator implanted. The device is only monitoring his heartbeat, but it still goes against Italian football rules. That’s the reason why Inter and Eriksen parted ways at the end of last year. The player spent time training in his native Denmark, then in the Netherlands and Switzerland before joining Brentford.
In his first interview since the dramatic moments at the Parken Stadium at Euro 2020, Eriksen said he always felt “he was going to play football again,” stressing that his dream was to “represent Denmark at the World Cup.”
The bookies favor Manchester United to be Eriksen’s next club. At +120, United is slightly ahead of Tottenham in the odds race. Spurs stand at +150. Newcastle is at +1200, with Everton behind at +2500. Manchester City, Leicester, and Liverpool are all regarded as outsiders at +3300.