Man Utd’s five-year plan finally comes to fruition after Christian Eriksen U-turn

Christian Eriksen knew he may play football again two days after cardiac arrest

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It should come as no surprise that Christian Eriksen has decided to join Manchester United as a free agent, particularly as the move has been on the cards for five years at various stages in his career. But Eriksen’s U-turn on his promise to Tottenham chief Daniel Levy may cause a stir with the Spurs supremo.

When Jose Mourinho was in charge at Old Trafford in the summer of 2017, the Portuguese was keen on signing the Dane to replace Wayne Rooney. Man United were prepared to offer their Premier League counterparts a sizeable fee to prise the Dane away from north London, but chairman Daniel Levy was reluctant to accept.

According to The Daily Mail, Eriksen, via his agent Martin Schoots, had told Levy that he would never play for another English club out of respect to Spurs. Chelsea had previously been linked with the midfielder, forcing Levy into action after experiencing a similar saga with Luka Modric and the Blues in 2012.

And the Spurs chairman held him to his word when United declared their interest in the summer of 2019, with Eriksen turning down the chance to join the Red Devils. Six months later, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer captured Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon for £46.5million and Eriksen moved on with Inter Milan in the Serie A.

But as the old adage goes in football, you can never say never. No one could have foreseen the scenario of Eriksen collapsing on the pitch during Euro 2020 (in 2021), requiring him to be revived on the pitch after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Strict regulations tied to Italy’s sports health laws meant that Eriksen was prohibited from carrying on playing with an an ICD (implantable cardio defibrillator) and his contract was mutually terminated by Inter. Having been wanted by Europe’s top clubs only three years ago, Eriksen found himself out in the cold — until Brentford boss Thomas Frank handed him a lifeline.

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The playmaker earned a six-month deal with the Bees after proving his fitness and he made a considerable impact with the Bees, scoring his first goal in a stunning 4-1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. His performances proved he had not shown any signs of decline in general or his fitness despite his major health scare.

And it soon became apparent that Brentford would struggle to hold onto him as clubs began to circle, with United the most attractive position. “I will do what I can [to keep him] but it’s down to Christian, where it’s like everything if you decide to go to one club or another, you buy that house or another house, you take that job or another job,” Frank said back in March.

Sure enough, nearly three years on from when United last tried to sign him, he is now set to link up with the Red Devils and new head coach Erik ten Hag on a three-year deal worth £150,000-a-week after verbally agreeing the contract.

While Eriksen might have liked to have kept his promise, he had already broken it when he joined Brentford, and the opportunity to play under a manager enshrined in Ajax’s football philosophy is an attractive proposition that few would want to deny him after what he has been through.

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