Christian Eriksen has expressed his dissatisfaction with his limited playing time at Manchester United.
The Danish midfielder has been relegated to the bench and has only made brief appearances in games. He acknowledges the situation and is working hard to change it.
Eriksen’s last start was in January’s match against Tottenham, but since then, Erik ten Hag has preferred other players like Casemiro or Scott McTominay in midfield.
Eriksen has only played 135 minutes of football this year and recently came off the bench in United’s thrilling 4-3 victory over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Speaking to Danish outlet Tipsbladet, Eriksen said: “I’ve said in the past that I’m not happy with not playing, but it’s not something I lose sleep over. The team performs, and then I have to respect the role you have on the side.
“For me, it’s been working hard and focusing on being fresh for every game, and I am. It’s easier now to accept my role than it was before.”
The 32-year-old player also mentioned that he has shared his concerns with Ten Hag. Eriksen joined the team in the summer of 2022 after leaving Brentford as a free agent.
He played a key role in United finishing third in the previous Premier League season and winning the League Cup.
Throughout that season, Eriksen played in 44 matches in all competitions, scoring two goals and providing 10 assists.
This season, he has only played in 21 matches, scoring one goal and making two assists. However, he was sidelined for over a month due to a knee injury at the end of last year.
“I have had a conversation with Erik [ten Hag] that of course I am unhappy with the situation and that I want to play as much as possible, but that I am available and must be available for the team, which I am and always will be,” Eriksen added.
“He said it was the team he had chosen and Kobbie [Mainoo] is doing well and the rest of the centre is doing well too, so there is competition for places, which is to be expected when you play for a top club. There is a lot of competition in the team.
“Of course you can be worried in the long run, because I want to play as much as possible. Of course, you don’t want to sit on the bench all the time. I don’t have that approach, but it’s not something that worries me right now.
“It’s often the case that when you change teams and win, you don’t change the winning team, and I respect that.”
