Why Erik ten Hag's Manchester United midfield dilemma will help him this season

With Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes firmly in possession of the defensive midfield and attacking midfield roles under Erik ten Hag, Christian Eriksen and new signing Mason Mount have a battle on their hands for regular minutes for Manchester United.

Eriksen has spent the last 12 months at Old Trafford having joined from Brentford on a free transfer. He cemented his starting place early in the campaign before picking up a nasty ankle injury which saw the Dane sidelined for three months.

During Eriksen’s injury layoff, Fred and Scott McTominay filled in for him. The absence of the former Ajax man was sorely felt by Ten Hag. Upon his return in April, Eriksen failed to play a full 90 minutes, seemingly struggling for long-term fitness and failing to meet the high intensity that Ten Hag’s style of play demands. In addition to this injury, Eriksen also experienced a well-documented cardiac arrest during Euro 2020. Due to this condition, he has been fitted with an 'implantable cardioverter-defibrillator device.

Mason Mount was brought in as a priority by Ten Hag at the start of pre-season. Speaking with MUTV in July this year, Ten Hag outlined his reasons: "When you're playing in midfield, you have to attack, but you also you have to defend. I'm sure [Mount] will bring dynamism into our game and that was one of our analysis conclusions we made after last season. We need [to be] more dynamic in the midfield department.

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This box-to-box dynamism is a signature of Mount’s game. Alongside boundless energy, something Eriksen at age 31 is lacking in, Mount possesses exceptional technical ability. His passing, dribbling and first touch make him a good fit for a