Christian Eriksen says it "felt good" to be back out on the pitch after returning from injury for Manchester United against Everton at Old Trafford.
The midfielder was named in the matchday squad by manager Erik ten Hag for the first time since being forced off against Reading in the FA Cup fourth round. After missing 16 matches, Eriksen returned as a second-half substitute for the final quarter of an hour on Saturday afternoon.
Replacing Jadon Sancho, the Denmark international came on minutes after Anthony Martial had doubled United's lead after being introduced from the bench. The return of Eriksen was a welcome injury boost for mere moments, though, as the sight of Marcus Rashford limping off with an apparent groin injury soon overshadowed it.
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Despite the day ending on a downer, Eriksen shared his thoughts on making a long-awaited return to the team on social media. "Felt good to back out there!" Eriksen captioned an Instagram post after the match.
United teammates Casemiro, David de Gea, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof and Rashford all showed support by commenting on the player's post. United goalkeeper De Gea wrote: "Is back," while his other teammates posted emojis in response to the post.
Former Tottenham Hotspur colleagues Giovani Lo Celso and Kyle Walker-Peters also congratulated Eriksen on completing his recovery. Eriksen's verdict will come as a huge boost to United fans as the club enters into the business end of the season.
The return comes at an ideal time for United, with the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final against Sevilla on Thursday. While Ten Hag is likely to gradually reintegrate Eriksen, especially as Casemiro has now served his suspension, another option in the middle will be vital at this over the run-in.
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