Rio Ferdinand identifies trait Christian Eriksen shares with two Manchester United greats

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand said Christian Eriksen's confidence and quality on the ball reminds him of Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick.

Eriksen played an instrumental role in United's win over Arsenal as he demonstrated his impressive passing range and close control in midfield. Erik ten Hag brought the former Ajax man in this summer in an attempt to bolster his side's creativity and control in the middle of the park.

The Dane provided Marcus Rashford with the simplest of tap-ins following a perfectly timed run from the midfield, as United carved open Arsenal's defence to make it 3-1. Although he only registered one assist during the game, Eriksen was at the heart of United's opening goal as well.

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The 30-year-old produced a defence-splitting pass to Bruno Fernandes, which led to Rashford setting up Antony for his debut goal to open the scoring. Ferdinand heaped praise on Eriksen's performance, not only for his passing, but for his all-round midfield display.

Speaking to his YouTube channel, the former Red revealed how impressed he was with Scott McTominay, before comparing Eriksen's ability on the ball to two United greats.

He said: "McTominay I thought was really good today, good fouls at good times, kept it, gave it to the people that can play forward. That’s what he’s got to bring to his game and understand what he’s there for. He’s good at doing that, good at running off the ball, he can probably bring that to his game more. But he’s being disciplined and I like that.

"What I would say though, another thing Eriksen has brought to the team, when he’s under pressure or we just win the ball, he passes forward and that’s what McTominay and Fred are