Christian Eriksen has done what Donny van de Beek couldn't in Manchester United pre-season

Christian Eriksen had been on the pitch in Oslo for five minutes and he could quite easily have claimed two assists for Manchester United.

This pre-season friendly was beginning to drift in the Norwegian heat when Eriksen appeared for his first public outing as a United player and his impact was immediate.

Within a minute or two he had drilled a low, inviting ball into the area that was a whisker away from both Marcus Rashford and Anthony Elanga. Contact from either would have resulted in the opening goal.

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Harry Maguire made contact with Eriksen's first corner a couple of minutes later. The in-swinging ball dipped invitingly onto the captain's head, but he somehow sent his effort wide from six yards when it looked easier to score.

As he made his way over to take the corner Eriksen received a standing ovation. There is undoubtedly an element of romance to Eriksen's move to United, recovering from the cardiac arrest he suffered on the pitch during the European Championship 13 months ago, but there is more to it than that.

The 30-year-old has been written off by some after what he went through in Denmark, but he has plenty left in the tank and his three-year contract at Old Trafford is evidence of that. Doubters might have been won over by a 20-minute cameo in a pre-season friendly.

The comeback narrative around Eriksen shouldn't overshadow what a wonderful footballer he is. He lit up the Premier League with Tottenham and won Serie A with Inter Milan.

In his six months with Brentford last season, he was one of the best players in England, and Elanga revealed after this game that he has already dazzled some of his teammates in training with his