Erik ten Hag has revealed that Manchester United will be unable to find a replacement for Christian Eriksen, who has been sidelined for at least three months.
After being injured by Reading striker Andy Carroll in a serious challenge during United’s 3-1 FA Cup victory on Saturday, Eriksen will be out until late April or early May.
The Danish midfielder’s injury is a major setback because, as manager Ten Hag has said, no other player in his team can match the ingenuity that Eriksen brought to the table. Ten Hag denied that United would move to replace Eriksen on the day of the transfer deadline and said the void must be filled by members of his current squad.
As reported by The Mirror, Ten Hag said:
“Of course he’s disappointed. We’re disappointed, but it happens in top football and you have to deal with it. I think you can never fill that gap, because every player has his own characteristics and identification.”
“Another player will always fill in in a different way, but it doesn’t mean you have to be less successful. It’s quite clear Christian brings top quality to our squad and he has some specifics that are hard to replace, such as his impacts in the final third with his final ball.”
United finally moved to sign Marcel Sabitzer on loan from Bayern Munich, as the club wanted to have enough depth in the squad to compete on all fronts.
The Austrian midfielder will bring versatility to the squad, and he will hope to get into the starting XI as quickly as possible. The United fans received more bad news after the manager confirmed that Scott McTominay will also be sidelined for a few weeks.
That means the Red Devils are left with few options in the midfield department, and the remaining key players must be careful of their own fitness in the hectic schedule ahead.
