Skip to main content

Football

Eriksen: Manchester United were lucky not to be relegated

eriksen_1e4zihe0ln1y31mgs97oizwdkt.jpg

Christian Eriksen has claimed Manchester United were fortunate to avoid relegation from the Premier League this season.

The 13-time Premier League champions finished 15th with just 42 points.

Advertisement

It marked their lowest finish in the competition, and their lowest points tally.

The Red Devils, who replaced Erik ten Hag with Ruben Amorim in November, did reach the Europa League final, but a hugely underwhelming campaign was capped off by a defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao.

United at least signed off on a winning note, beating Aston Villa 2-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday, with Eriksen marking his final United game with a goal from the penalty spot, but the midfielder was quick to stress how fortunate the Red Devils were not to get dragged into a relegation scrap.

“People are lucky that we are where we are, not relegated with the team, with the season we’ve had,” Eriksen said.

The Denmark international also stated that the unwavering support from the fans came as a surprise to the team.

He added: “There’s been so many games this season where they could have caused a lot of chaos, where they would have been disappointed with our football. But the fans, to our surprise, have really supported us.

“At home there’s been games where it’s not been good enough, but they’ve really been supportive and away, especially, they’ve been even more on their toes, even in the worst times. The club is happy to have those who really support the players and the club no matter what.”

Amorim has won only seven league games at United. In fact, since the Portuguese’s first weekend in charge, only four teams in the competition collected fewer victories than the Red Devils – Spurs (six), Leicester City (four), Ipswich Town (three) and Southampton (one).

Eriksen, though, has no doubt that Amorim is the right coach to take United forward.

“Next season it has to be better and I’m sure it will be,” he added.

“You’ve seen progress. The results haven’t really shown that – 100% the results haven’t shown that. The football we [play now] and coming from under Ten Hag is going to take time to adapt.

“The players individually are very good and they should never be where we are in the table. It’s up to them to turn around but I’m confident they’ll be a very different team next season.”

Upcoming Matches

competition-logo
English Premier League
Gameweek 16 of 38
Saturday, 13 Dec
11:00 PM
Chelsea-team-logo Chelsea
Everton-team-logo Everton
11:00 PM
Liverpool-team-logo Liverpool
Brighton Hove Albion-team-logo Brighton Hove Albion
Sunday, 14 Dec
01:30 AM
Burnley-team-logo Burnley
Fulham-team-logo Fulham
04:00 AM
Arsenal-team-logo Arsenal
Wolverhampton Wanderers-team-logo Wolverhampton Wanderers
10:00 PM
Nottingham Forest-team-logo Nottingham Forest
Tottenham Hotspur-team-logo Tottenham Hotspur
10:00 PM
Crystal Palace-team-logo Crystal Palace
Manchester City-team-logo Manchester City
10:00 PM
West Ham United-team-logo West Ham United
Aston Villa-team-logo Aston Villa
10:00 PM
Sunderland-team-logo Sunderland
Newcastle United-team-logo Newcastle United
Monday, 15 Dec
12:30 AM
Brentford-team-logo Brentford
Leeds United-team-logo Leeds United
Tuesday, 16 Dec
04:00 AM
Manchester United-team-logo Manchester United
Bournemouth AFC-team-logo Bournemouth AFC

Must Watch Video