The race to secure Champions League places is becoming a tight one in the Premier League. Only three points separate Newcastle United in third place from Tottenham in fifth. While Manchester United are sandwiched between the duo in fourth, postponements galore also means Brighton are lurking with a game in hand in sixth place making for a crowded field. Luckily for the Red Devils, they're in for a big midfield boost as Christian Eriksen is set to join the squad after returning to training this week from an ankle injury that has sidelined him since the beginning of February.
At the time that he suffered an injury, not only were United nailed on as a lock to make the top four but they were even entering conversations as a team that could challenge Arsenal and Manchester City in the title race. But without their midfield metronome, the club has only won four of the eight Premier League matches that he has missed, falling to a whopping 19 points off the pace of Arsenal and allowing teams like Tottenham to catch up to them as they hang on to fourth by a thread.
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Current Premier League top half
| Place | Club | MP | W | D | L | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Arsenal | 29 | 23 | 3 | 3 | 72 | +43 |
2 | Manchester City | 28 | 29 | 4 | 4 | 64 | +64 |
3 | Newcastle United | 28 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 53 | +26 |
4 | Manchester United | 28 | 16 | 5 | 7 | 53 | +5 |
5 | Tottenham | 29 | 15 | 5 | 9 | 50 | +12 |
6 | Brighton | 27 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 46 | +17 |
7 | Aston Villa | 29 | 13 | 5 | 11 | 44 | -1 |
8 | Liverpool | 28 | 12 | 7 | 9 | 43 | +15 |
9 | Brentford | 29 | 10 | 13 | 6 | 43 | +8 |
10 | Fulham | 28 | 11 | 6 | 11 | 39 | 0 |
Eriksen hasn't been the only presence missing from midfield, Casemiro has also missed time due to picking up a red card suspension. Without their best midfielders, and with United's lack of depth, the team hasn't been good enough at retaining the ball in his absence. Without that, the Red Devils have struggled at breaking down teams that are able to bunker against them, something that all top teams need to be able to handle during a long season.
Getting Eriksen back during a critical run in couldn't come at a better time. Not only are there 10 Premier League fixtures remaining, including one against Tottenham on April 27 that could determine the final top-four place, but United are also in two other competitions as well. Having already won the English Football League cup to secure Erik ten Hag's first trophy of his United tenure, they can secure two more to really kick things off with a treble with both FA Cup and Europa League glory still in play.
While Eriksen likely won't start against Everton on Saturday, he could make his return to the XI against Sevilla as United's road in the Europa League continues. He'll also be critical for getting across the hump against an impressive Brighton side in the next round of the FA Cup later in April.
With matches are coming one after the other, Eriksen's return allows his replacement, Marcel Sabitzer, to move to the bench providing Ten Hag with much more flexibility to change his lineup as well. While United are a club that lacks depth, Sabitzer, Fred, and Scott McTominay are all midfielders who excel when put in the appropriate position to succeed. They're good bench options, just not well-rounded enough to fill in as effective starters. Given Ten Hag's penchant for making the right adjustments to turn a match in United's favor, he'll be able to find those spots for his reserves to give his team the best possible chance at securing a treble.
