Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has voiced his disappointment at losing Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen to an ankle injury that will have him sidelined for “an extended period of time”.
The Premier League club made the announcement of the 30-year-old’s impending long-term absence earlier today in a statement released on their official website.
Eriksen sustained an ankle injury following a horrible challenge from English forward Andy Carroll in the second-half of their 3-1 win against Reading in an FA Cup match on Saturday.
The actual nature of the injury is still being determined, but reports indicate Eriksen won’t be back in action until late April or early May, which means he will likely miss about twenty (20) games for the 20-time Premier League champions.
Speedy recovery, @ChrisEriksen8 🙏#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 31, 2023
During a press conference to discuss United’s semifinal second leg match against Nottingham Forest, United’s manager Erik Ten Hag expressed his disappointment at losing the versatile midfielder at this period of the season with the games coming thick and fast.
“Of course, he is disappointed about it, we are disappointed about it,” he said. “It happens in top football; you have to deal with it.”
He further addressed the problems losing Eriksen brings to the team but didn’t seem positive about the club getting a replacement on transfer deadline day.
“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,” he said
“Yeah, but 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.
“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.”
This season, the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder has been involved in eleven goals in 31 games for the Red Devils, including one goal and seven assists in 19 Premier League games.
Manchester United will take on Nottingham Forest in the Carabao cup on Wednesday before welcoming Crystal Palace to Old Trafford for a league match on Saturday.
