The Debate panellists pick their standout Man Utd summer 2022 signing so far

“Eriksen for me, I just think he’s completely changed that midfield. At the end of last season, [Bruno] Fernandes was getting a bit of stick, Scott McTominay was getting a bit of stick and now, suddenly you put Eriksen in there and it just seems to flow a lot easier. That performance against Arsenal was one of the best midfield performances I’ve seen at Old Trafford for years. Just the way he can control the games, some of his passes, particularly just the way he started moves for goals. Not that assist particularly, but the pass to start the move that ended with a goal [against Arsenal]. You see him asking for the ball when he’s got two other lads bearing down on him, he’s not scared to take the ball and just bounce it back, move it along and recycle it. He makes United look so much more fluid. In terms of just transfer fee alone, it’s such a clever signing. It would have been easy to overlook it at the age he was, the issues he’s had with his heart and things, it would have been easy to say: ‘thanks but no thanks’. But they didn’t, they took a little bit of a risk, not a massive risk, and it’s paid off.”

– Rob Dawson

ERIKSEN HAS TRANSFORMED THE TEAM

“I think, for me, Eriksen has actually been the one that has transformed the team. I didn’t realise he would play as much as he has done, I thought he would be an alternate with Bruno Fernandes, but actually, sitting him in that deep midfield – I know we had a trial run in that false-nine which didn’t quite work in the opening game of the season – but I think that was perhaps just adjusting to a new team in a competitive environment rather than on the pre-season tour. He, of course, wasn’t on the pre-season tour which was perhaps a little asterisk there. But the fact he can adapt to certain situations so well, higher up the pitch, lower in midfield, as Rob says, moving that ball forwards seems so effortless for him. The fact he’s playing every week, he’s playing full matches, he looks perfectly fine fitness-wise.”

– Laurie Whitwell