I was 'black sheep' when I wanted to leave Tottenham - now my Man United future hangs in balance

Christian Eriksen is set to return to Tottenham on Thursday when his Manchester United side make the trip down to north London in the Carabao Cup quarter-final.

Eriksen, 32, left Tottenham to join Inter Milan for £16.9million in January 2020, ending a six-and-a-half year spell with the club. During his time at Spurs, Eriksen scored 69 goals and added 88 assists in 305 appearances and helped them reach the Champions League final and finish second in the Premier League twice.

Despite his success, Eriksen departed Spurs on a sour note. The Dane claimed that he wanted to leave in June 2019 as his contract entered into its final 12 months. It was an admission that made some fans turn on him, while others understood why the former Ajax man was being so honest about his future.

Following his exit from Tottenham, Eriksen opened up on the frustration of his contract situation and that he had grown tired of the speculation surrounding his future. Speaking to the BBC in February 2020, Eriksen said: "But that is the thing. If you have a short contract, you will be the black sheep.

"Of course, I did the interview. I was very honest. I felt I had to be honest. I didn't want to hide like a lot of players do. Everyone is different. I was honest. I wanted to say it out loud.

"I did get the blame for a lot of stuff, for being the bad guy. I read I was the bad person in the changing room, that ever since I said I wanted to leave, it was no good me being there. To be honest, over the last few years, if anything came up, any player would think about leaving but I was the guy who said it publicly."

Fast forward almost five years and Eriksen has been through it all. While playing for Denmark at Euro 2020, he suffered a cardiac arrest on