Even though Christian Eriksen will be sidelined for three months due to injury, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag does not plan to enter the transfer market on deadline day.
Eriksen, who suffered an ankle injury in the FA Cup victory over Reading on Saturday, would likely be sidelined at least until late April, United announced on Tuesday.
Andy Carroll delivered a strong tackle to him, which remained unpunished until he eventually received two more severe challenges that led to his dismissal.
Losing Eriksen is a major blow for United given his prominence in his first campaign at Old Trafford, with Bruno Fernandes (2,603) the only outfield player to record more minutes on the pitch than the Dane (2,274) for Ten Hag’s men this term.
United will suddenly be without one of their chief creators, as Eriksen’s 53 key passes is second only to Fernandes (81), and he leads the way for assists with nine.
But Ten Hag is confident he has the options to cope.
“Of course, [Eriksen] is disappointed about [the injury], we are disappointed about it,” the manager told reporters ahead of Wednesday’s EFL Cup semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest.
“It happens in top football, you have to deal with it.”
He added: “As you said, something coming out on deadline day is difficult and you can’t make policy on such bad injuries, but we have players in the midfield department, good players, we also have players who can fill the gap.”
Eriksen’s injury leaves Ten Hag with only Scott McTominay, Fred, Casemiro, Fernandes, and Donny van de Beek as senior midfield options, while 17-year-old Kobbie Mainoo has made two cup appearances and has occasionally served as a substitute in the Premier League.
Zidane Iqbal, a 19-year-old Iraqi international who has yet to make his debut but was apparently in line for a loan move, has also found himself on the bench frequently this season.
Regardless of who steps up, Ten Hag acknowledges that there will need to be some adaption because they won’t have the same qualities as the Danish celebrity.
“I think you can never fill that because every player has their own characteristics and identity, so another player will always fill it in in a different way,” he said.
“So, it doesn’t mean that you have to be less successful, but it’s quite clear that Christian Eriksen, for our squad, brings top quality and he has some specifics that are hard to replace. For instance, his impact in the final third, [with his] final ball.”
Speedy recovery, @ChrisEriksen8 🙏#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 31, 2023
The Brazilian midfielder Fred would seem to stand to gain the most from Eriksen’s absence.
Although the 29-year-old has only started five Premier League games this season, he has participated in a total of 17 matches in the top tier. Ten Hag appears to admire the player’s vigor and perseverance in the second half when others may be worn out.
Additionally, the fact that he frequently competes with Casemiro for the Selecao is convenient.
“You mentioned already in your first sentence, he’s playing together with Casemiro in the Brazilian squad, I would say that’s not the worst squad in the world,” Ten Hag said with a grin.
“They have so many choices what they can make but they often prefer to play them together. So, that tells something about the quality Fred has and what he can contribute to the team.
“He has done it several times with his performance for instance against Tottenham, for instance against Manchester City.
“When he’s coming on [in the] last game [against Reading], he’s scoring a goal straight away. He has a lot of qualities. I think they are a really good combination, Casemiro and Fred.”