Sir Alex Ferguson has previously sung the praises of Christian Eriksen, with the Danish playmaker now having a verbal agreement in place to join Manchester United this summer.
Eriksen, 30, returned to the Premier League back in January, penning a short-term deal with Brentford after leaving Inter Milan. His performances have attracted plenty of attention given he's now a free agent. The Bees had hoped to retain his services but the player has accepted a three-year proposal at Old Trafford.
Eriksen spent just under seven years in North London at Tottenham before upping sticks to the Nerazzurri in the January transfer window of 2020. 18 months later, Eriksen suffered a traumatic on-pitch cardiac arrest at Euro 2020 that jeopardised his entire football career.
Remarkably, the midfielder was fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator and was back in action within six months after Brentford gave him the chance to prove he could still operate at the highest level of the game. It was an opportunity he seized with both hands as he was comfortably the Bees' best player from January onwards last term, alerting Europe's elite clubs in the process.
Yet Eriksen first was on United’s radar a decade ago, when he impressed for Ajax during their Europa League clash against the Red Devils in 2012. That was when Ferguson was still in the Old Trafford dugout, and he sung the praises of the Danish star and his potential as a player.
Speaking to TV3+ after United won by two goals in Amsterdam, Ferguson explained of Eriksen: "He's a good player - a typical Ajax player who is good on the ball - but we already knew that. We have many young players at the club, but we are always looking for talent. It's impossible to predict."
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Upon being informed of Ferguson’s praise of him, Eriksen told Ekstra Bladet after the match: "It is great to hear and an honour to hear him saying positive things about me, especially as it's not just come from any old manager. It's something I have to get used to. I would say that he is one of the game's greatest managers."
Asked whether he would be interested in a move to Old Trafford, he said: "I want to play for a big club at some point, of course, but right now I am not dreaming of anything so big. My dream is for now only about Ajax."
Eriksen is now set to finally join United under Erik ten Hag, with whom he shares a strong relationship. The Danish star never played under Ten Hag at Ajax, but he was invited back to the club last year to train with the squad in a bid to help him recover full fitness after leaving Inter.
