Christian Eriksen has proven why Mason Mount is perfect for Casemiro at Manchester United

After the first three games of his Manchester United career, Christian Eriksen must have been starting to wonder whether he was coming or going.

After being deployed as a false-nine on his debut against Brighton & Hove Albion on the opening day of the 2022/23 campaign, the Denmark international was then tasked with being United's defensive midfielder six days later in the 4-0 battering at Brentford. Unsurprisingly, the seasoned attacking-midfielder was powerless to stop the Bees from taking United to the cleaners.

But after two failed experiments, Erik ten Hag got it right at the third attempt, deploying Eriksen in central midfield in the 2-1 win over Liverpool. It marked the former Tottenham Hotspur ace's best performance in a United shirt up until that point and it was a decision that proved instrumental in the club putting the defeats to Brighton and Brentford behind them.

Though Eriksen arrived at Old Trafford last summer with a reputation for being one of the best attacking-midfielders in the business, it was in the No.8 position that he flourished, dictating games from deep. Once Casemiro had settled into his new surroundings, their bond would become vital.

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But for all of their success together during the 2022/23 campaign, Eriksen's standards dipped towards the end of the season, with tiredness and fatigue clearly a problem. The Dane is now north of 30 and United need younger legs in the engine room.

They have, of course, identified Chelsea ace Mason Mount as a solution to that problem and have agreed personal terms with him, though they are yet to currently settle on a transfer fee with the Londoners. Like Eriksen, when he rocked up at Old Trafford