CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN has no chance of playing alongside Bruno Fernandes at Manchester United, according to Danny Murphy.
Eriksen, 30, completed a switch to Man United last week following his contract expiry at Brentford.
Murphy, centre, doesn’t believe Eriksen and Fernandes will play simultaneously
Eriksen has received high praise from Ten Hag for his creativity
Fernandes is a fan favourite at Old Trafford and will be difficult to displace in the starting xi
And despite high praise from Erik ten Hag, Murphy believes the former Tottenham playmaker will be nothing more than a squad player.
“I think United are going to play one No 10,” he told TalkSPORT.
“If you think you’re going to get Eriksen and Fernandes in a midfield three and be able to compete with teams athletically and defensively, you’ve got no chance.
“He’ll play his share of games because you don’t have the same XI for a season, we know that.
“You will see the rotation and it’s five subs this season as well so there is going to be impact off the bench but he is not going to play ahead of Fernandes.
“I really like Eriksen, I’ve always admired him in terms of his creativity and the way he plays his football.
“He tries things, he’s good at set-plays, two good feet but would it excite me if I was a United fan? He’s going to be a squad player, isn’t he?”
Eriksen was released from Italian champions Inter Milan during the Autumn last year due to Serie A rules which stated players with Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) could not play in the league.
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This came as a consequence of the cardiac arrest he suffered during Denmark’s opening game at Euro 2020.
Premier League newcomers Brentford then picked up Eriksen and gave him a chance to reignite his career.
With the Dane in the team, Brentford went on to collect 22 points from a possible 33 and comfortably avoid relegation.
Eriksen chipped in with a goal and four assists and also produced 0.35 Expected Assists per 90, creative numbers only bettered by Kevin de Bruyne and Trent Alexander-Arnold of those who had significant Premier League minutes.
Along with David Beckham, he is also one of just two players to have at least 10 assists in four consecutive Premier League seasons.
His would-be midfield rival Fernandes produced a relatively quiet campaign last time out, struggling along with the rest of the team.
However, at his best Fernandes helped fire The Red Devils to back-to-back top-four finishes, something they had not done since Sir Alex Ferguson.
Eriksen was United’s second summer signing and was shortly followed up by the £55m acquisition of Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez.
The pair will not join up with the United squad during their pre-season tour but will link up with them when they return to England.
The touring squad are in action against Crystal Palace, and will be looking to follow up their 4-0 and 4-1 wins over Liverpool and Melbourne Victory respectively with another strong showing.
United chiefs remain intent on signing Frenkie de Jong, but a lack of Champions League football and the matter of £17m in deferred wages owed to him from Barcelona is stalling a move despite a £72m fee being agreed.
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