Manchester United fans are excited after getting their first look at new signing Christian Eriksen during a 1-0 pre season friendly defeat against Atletico Madrid.
United went to Oslo with an unbeaten pre season record after a successful summer tour in Thailand and Australia that included a 4-0 win over Liverpool.
But they were given a stern test by Diego Simeone’s Atletico side. In what was a cagey affair, temper flared in the first half after a challenge by United midfielder Scott McTominay on Jan Oblak.
Portuguese star Joao Felix scored the winner in the 87th minute to inflict Erik ten Hag’s first defeat as United manager.
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Fred was also sent off after fouling and then stamping on Alvaro Morata.
In a match that was mainly full of negatives for United, Eriksen gave fans something to cheer about after he produced a decent cameo.
The Dane was subbed on in the 69th minute for Anthony Martial. He looked lively during his time on the pitch and could have easily had two assists.
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Eriksen put in a stunning cross in the direction of Anthony Elanga but the youngster couldn't get on the end of the pass in time.
A few moments later, Eriksen again swung in a beautiful cross, this time Harry Maguire missed his header when he really should have done better.
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After his promising debut, United fans took to social media to express their excitement over their new player.
One fan said: “Really happy to see Eriksen get on, I do think he’ll be a really good player for us, we saw a bit of the impact in the little time he had.”
Another tweeted: “Eriksen head and shoulders above any player we have in midfield. We need more like him.”
And a third added: I like Bruno I think he’s a great player but Eriksen did more in those 20 mins than Bruno did all game. Eriksen should start imo.”
After the match, Eriksen’s team mate Elanga also heaped praise on the Dane.
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He told MUTV, per Manchester Evening News: “Yeah, you can see even in training, his little touches and the way he scans around the pitch.
“He’s a top, top player to work with and really good to play with. You can see his quality on the pitch and I’m sure this season the fans will see more and more of him.”
Eriksen then took to Instagram after his first outing as a United player.
He wrote: “This looks good and feels good! Wonderful reception from the fans here in Norway! Happy to have played my first minutes.”
United will face Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford on Sunday before getting their Premier League campaign underway next weekend against Brighton.
Topics: Christian Eriksen, Manchester United
Marcus Chan