Eriksen’s injury has prompted Erik ten Hag to rethink Manchester United’s plans for the rest of the season.
Danish player has been a key part of the Reds’ revolution under their new manager.
But he will now be out for three months with an ankle injury after being fouled by Reading’s Andy Carroll in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Eriksen has been a regular for most of the season and has forged an impressive partnership with Casemiro.
But his long break will make Ten Hag need to figure out how to rebalance the Reds’ squad.
The most likely solution would be for Fred to try to fill Eriksen’s place with Scott McTominay also injured at the moment.
The Brazilian has been at Old Trafford since 2018 but has had to take on a more limited role this season due to the arrivals of Casemiro and Eriksen.
But that didn’t stop Fred from impressing when he was given a chance in the first team.
The 29-year-old has proven to be a solid choice for Europa League and cup matches for Man United, during his time in regular appearances under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
But when asked about the prospect of Fred filling Eriksen’s place, Ten Hag admitted the former Tottenham star was not easy to replace.
Ten Hag said: “I think you can never fill that void because every player has his own character, identity, other players will always fill in a different way but that doesn’t mean you have to be inferior. successful”.
“It’s clear that Christian Eriksen brings top quality to our squad and he has some characteristics that are hard to replace, such as his impact in the bottom third with the ball at his feet.” .
The Red Devils can look beyond their current squad for an alternative.
United rushed into the market on the last day in a belated attempt to lure Bayern Munich’s Marcel Sabitzer to Old Trafford.
The Austrian player spent 2 years at the Allianz Arena after 7 years at RB Leipzig.
The midfielder’s experience playing for big clubs in the biggest leagues could make him a potential replacement that could go straight to the first team.
It’s also possible that Eriksen’s injury could trigger a broader tactical shift.Ten Hag has insisted that no individual player can bring what Eriksen has to offer and that he can switch the squad entirely to a back three.
The move could push Bruno Fernandes deeper to replicate Eriken’s influence, while allowing Marcus Rashford and Antony to move closer to Wout Weghorst.
Harry Maguire could be brought in to strengthen the backline and provide support for Fernandes to move.
Man United have won 11 of their past 13 games with Ten Hag using a fixed formation.
They will be looking to maintain that form in February, where a tough European clash with Barcelona is set to take place.
