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Christian Eriksen during the Premier League match between Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur at Brentford Stadium in London, England, April 2022.

Comparing Christian Eriksen’s stats to Man Utd’s other midfielders

Nathan Egerton •

Manchester United have confirmed the signing of Christian Eriksen on a free transfer but how does his 2021-22 Premier League stats compare to the other midfielders at Erik ten Hag’s disposal?

Eriksen came through Ajax’s academy and spent six-and-a-half years in the Premier League with Tottenham before moving to Inter Milan in January 2020.

The Denmark international won the Serie A title in 2020-21 but his contract was terminated by mutual agreement following his cardiac arrest at Euro 2020.

After making a full recovery, he returned to England with Brentford in January 2022 and made a huge impact during his six-month spell at the club but has decided to join United on a three-year deal.

“Manchester United is a special club, and I cannot wait to get started,” Eriksen said after his move was completed. “I have had the privilege of playing at Old Trafford many times but to do it in the red shirt of United will be an amazing feeling.

While John Murtough, United’s football director, said: “Christian has been one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe throughout his career. It is no surprise that he had so many options this summer, so we are really happy that he was convinced that this is the right club for him.

“In addition to his outstanding technique, Christian will add valuable experience and leadership skills to the squad, and we are looking forward to seeing the benefits of these qualities on the pitch this coming season and beyond.”

Eriksen is United’s second signing of the summer, following the arrival of Tyrell Malacia, as Ten Hag looks to reshape a side that endured a disapointing 2021-22 season.

But how does Eriksen’s numbers compare with those of his new team-mates? We’ve compared Eriksen’s 2021-22 Premier League stats to the corresponding league stats of United’s current central midfield options. 

Note: we’ve only included Donny van de Beek’s stats from his loan spell at Everton as he didn’t start a single Premier League game for United in 2021-22.

Goals
Bruno Fernandes – 10
Fred – 4
Christian Eriksen – 1
Scott McTominay – 1
Donny van de Beek – 1

Assists
Bruno Fernandes – 6
Fred – 4
Christian Eriksen – 4
Scott McTominay – 1
Donny van de Beek – 0

Minutes per goal
Bruno Fernandes – 312
Donny van de Beek – 484
Fred – 509
Christian Eriksen – 938
Scott McTominay – 2393

Minutes per goal or assist
Christian Eriksen – 187.6
Bruno Fernandes – 195
Fred – 254.5
Donny van de Beek – 484
Scott McTominay – 1196.5

Chances created per 90 minutes
Christian Eriksen – 2.9
Bruno Fernandes – 2.6
Fred – 1.2
Scott McTominay – 0.9
Donny van de Beek – 0.4

Successful dribbles per 90 minutes (success rate)
Scott McTominay – 1.4 (77.8%)
Fred – 0.9 (56.3%)
Christian Eriksen – 0.8 (50%)
Bruno Fernandes – 0.7 (63.6%)
Donny van de Beek – 0.6 (35.2%)

Shots per 90 minutes (inside the penalty area)
Bruno Fernandes – 2.6 (1.1)
Christian Eriksen – 2.1 (0.5)
Scott McTominay – 1.0 (0.4)
Donny van de Beek – 0.9 (0.2)
Fred – 0.6 (0.2)

Passes completed per 90 (passing accuracy)
Fred – 59.4 (84.1%)
Bruno Fernandes – 54.8 (78.3%)
Christian Eriksen – 52.2 (80.9%)
Scott McTominay – 46.4 (85.6%)
Donny van de Beek – 45 (84.7%)

Christian Eriksen celebrates scoring for Bretford against Chelsea. Stamford Bridge, London, 2 April 2022.

READ: Forget the narrative… Eriksen ruined Kante with two touches of 24K gold

Successful tackles per 90 minutes (success rate)
Donny van de Beek – 2.8 (68.2%)
Fred – 2.8 (52.8%)
Scott McTominay – 2.4 (66.7%)
Bruno Fernandes – 1.6 (47.1%)
Christian Eriksen – 1.2 (57%)

Interceptions per 90 minutes
Fred – 1.4
Scott McTominay – 1.2
Donny van de Beek – 1.1
Christian Eriksen – 0.9
Bruno Fernandes – 0.5

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