Christian Eriksen is doing what Paul Pogba rarely did for Manchester United

In your biggest games, you need your biggest players to stand up and make the difference. Christian Eriksen is doing that already for Manchester United.

The 30-year-old has had a seismic impact at United since his summer arrival and, in the space of six games, he has already established himself as just about the most influential player under Erik ten Hag.

His performance against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon was the highlight of his short United career so far, though it was a display that showed exactly why his time at the club could be a long one full of success.

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Eriksen's cool assist to Marcus Rashford gave the forward a simple finish to wrap up the result in United's favour, a selfless act of support which summarised his entire ethos as a team player rather than one driven by individual accolades.

The Denmark international finished the match with the most touches of any United player, the most passes completed, the most chances created and did so while covering a staggering 11.2km of ground as well.

Many expected Eriksen to perhaps play a bit-part role for United this season, but in the opening six matches he has only missed eight minutes of action, making himself indispensable to the side by filling a midfield role so crucial to Ten Hag's tactical approach.

Eriksen is, in effect, doing exactly what the manager wanted Frenkie de Jong to do had he signed this summer, helping them dictate the tempo in the middle of the park while bringing composure and creativity to their possession game.

"We put him a little more down on the pitch, like a six or eight role. He has a lot of freedom. He has to interchange with the spaces where he has to be and the rest have to