Christian Eriksen has been compared to the Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic for his ‘aura’ by Brentford teammate Pontus Jansson ahead of his impending move to Manchester United†
Eriksen has given a verbal agreement to join United in recent days, following the expiration of the six-month contract he signed with Brentford in January. The 30-year-old had been debating a move for the past two weeks, seemingly unsure about moving his family north after only returning to competition earlier this year.
The former Inter Milan midfielder made a remarkable return to full-time football with Brentford earlier this season. He signed for the Bees in January and put in a string of impressive performances with Thomas Frank’s side, who were looking to keep him after this summer.
The spell with Brentford was a moving turning point for Eriksen, whose career as an athlete appeared to be over after suffering a cardiac arrest during the EURO 2020 match between Denmark and Finland last summer.
Eriksen’s life was saved by the quick response of team-mate Simon Kjaer and the medical staff of the Danish national team. After being fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator device, he left Inter Milan and trained under Ten Hag at former club Ajax before reaching his short-term deal with Brentford.
Jansson’s comments from earlier in the season when the two were teammates under coach Thomas Frank offer United fans an insight into the kind of character who will soon be added to their squad.
“From the day he came in there was an aura – not from a superstar, but from someone who has played for the best teams in the world,” former Leeds United defender Jansson told the Daily mail earlier this year.
“I’ve played with players like him before, like Zlatan in the international team. They have something. You can see that when they have the ball at their feet.’
Ibrahimovic, of course, spent two years at Old Trafford before moving to Los Angeles Galaxy and then returning to AC Milan.
The attacker has scored 29 goals in 53 Premier League appearances during his time at Old Trafford and is known for his macho personality.
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