“He has one idea”: Ten Hag favourite exposes struggles under Amorim after leaving United last summer

Manchester United handed the reins of the first team to Michael Carrick last week after parting ways with former head coach Ruben Amorim. The Englishman will remain in charge as caretaker manager until the end of the season, when the Red Devils are likely to make a permanent appointment for the position. Carrick arrived to steady the ship after Amorim’s turbulent 14-month spell, and has already made his presence felt. On Saturday, in his first game in charge, the Englishman secured a convincing 2-0 win over bitter rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford. The victory marked United’s first win this year and also only their third clean sheet in all competitions this season. On the back of the disappointing FA Cup exit at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion, the result provided a temporary relief to a club struggling to reclaim its lost glory. Amorim, meanwhile, offloaded several players last summer as he looked to streamline the squad, and among them was Christian Eriksen, who left as a free agent at the end of his contract. Eriksen’s stats at United Eriksen arrived at United in the summer of 2022, fresh from an impressive short stint with Brentford. The Danish midfielder had previous experience of playing in the Premier League, having spent seven years at Tottenham Hotspur. Eriksen enjoyed a good start to life at the Theatre of Dreams and was heavily involved with the first team, appearing 44 times across competitions and registering two goals and 10 assists. However, the player lost prominence the following campaign, managing just 28 appearances in all competitions, half of which were from the bench. The Dane’s situation failed to improve in his final campaign as well, with Amorim’s arrival pushing him further down the pecking order. The 33 year old eventually bowed out by scoring in the 2-0 Premier League win over Aston Villa in the final game of the season. Christian Eriksen Career Stats ClubAppsGoalsAssistsYellow CardsRed CardsMinutes Played Tottenham Hotspur305698819–24,110′ Ajax Amsterdam16332657–12,042′ Manchester United1078198–6,244′ Inter Milan60833–2,771′ VfL Wolfsburg16142–1,133′ Brentford FC11141–938′ Ajax Amsterdam U1935–––220′ Total66512418340–47,458′ Source: Transfermarkt. Eriksen joined Wolfsburg last summer and is under contract with the Bundesliga club until 2027. The player has now shed light on his time under Amorim at Old Trafford. Eriksen had a decent relationship with Amorim Speaking to Sky Sports, Eriksen suggested that he may not have been the right fit under the Portuguese manager at United. He said: “As a player, I did not feel he was going to look my way, in every sense.” “Of course, then you struggle a bit football-wise. But person-wise, we had a decent relationship, nothing wrong there. He has one idea. Maybe I was a style of player not really suited for him.” Eriksen managed just seven starts under Amorim, and completed the full 90 minutes just twice. Another player who struggled for game time under the Portuguese head coach was Kobbie Mainoo, but Carrick was quick to include the youngster in his starting XI for the Manchester derby. The Dane went on to suggest that the impending arrival of a new manager could mean a fresh start for everyone at United. He added: “I hope for anyone, it does not matter if it is Kobbie or someone else. I hope the club has success.” Final Thoughts Eriksen was a good squad option for United, but the club were perhaps justified in not handing him a new deal. The Dane will turn 34 next month, and the Red Devils are already preparing to reinforce the midfield with younger talents this summer, with Carlos Baleba, Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton reportedly on their radar. Featured image Michael Steele via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Deepungsu Pandit Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. He has worked for over seven years with Sportskeeda, writing football reviews, opinions and news articles. Deepungsu also maintains a blog, The Thinking Me, where he writes about life and things that interest him. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.