Ten Hag insists Eriksen is a key player

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag in a recent statement has stated that Christian Eriksen remains a “very important” at Old Trafford despite his lack of starts in recent weeks.

The 31-year-old has started in three games in the Premier League this season.

He was also not given a nod to start in the first team on Saturday against Sheffield United even though Casemiro was injured.

Man Utd have more than enough options in the midfield, which means of them will have to compete for game time.

Eriksen has made 10 appearances this season, scoring once and creating one assist, but Ten Hag insisted that the Denmark star remains a vital player for the club.

“Definitely [he was on the bench] but he takes part in every game. You see his importance when he is on the pitch he has a big influence on our team by creating,” Ten Hag told reporters during his press conference on Monday.

“He is a great player, he is a brilliant player and is very important for our squad. We have many good players. We don’t have a squad with 11. We have a squad where there is internal competition and in the back we have some struggle to line up.

“We don’t have so many numbers but in the midfield department there is huge competition internally in our squad.”