Not Eriksen or Bruno – ETH has found his de Bruyne in 150m p/w star who completed 100 passes and provided 3 assist against Aston Villa
Erik ten Hag has found his Kevin de Bruyne at Manchester United
Man United manager Jose Mourinho has a great midfielder with the same mindset as the Belgian playmaker.
With the addition of Christian Eriksen this season, Erik ten Hag has found his own Kevin de Bruyne at Manchester United, with both midfield maestros having the same footballing mindset about the things that really matter in the game.
When Marcus Rashford scored his 100th goal for Manchester United against West Ham, the accolades rightfully went to the striker. It was a superb header that Lukasz Fabianski couldn’t stop, as the now 25-year-old surpassed the milestone emphatically.
When the dust settled and the replays came in, the pinpoint cross from Eriksen to pick out his teammate at the back post left many in awe of the delivery’s excellence. The 30-year-old couldn’t have moved the ball a millimeter in either direction and improved Rashford’s chances.
Nonetheless, it was Dane’s third assist in the league this season. Eriksen has been at the center of everything positive for United’s attacking and creative outlets this season, so his comparatively low direct goal contribution comes as a surprise.
In reality, Eriksen has 69 goal-providing passes in his career, trailing only David Beckham by 11 assists in the Premier League’s all-time list, and is just five assists away from tying Thierry Henry in 12th.
De Bruyne presently ranks fifth all-time in assists, with nine already for his teammates as he leads the way this season. Despite the disparity between Eriksen and his City counterpart, Ten Hag recognizes Eriksen’s importance to his club.
Ten Hag looks for selfless players in his lineups, individuals who are willing to forego personal glory for the benefit of those around them. Eriksen totally believes in this, as he stated during his time at Tottenham.
“The most essential thing is to try your hardest,” he remarked. And whether that’s a ball to someone who then assists or develops something else, that should be the goal of every game. Of course, scoring a goal or assisting someone will help.
“I think it’s largely about numbers or figures for folks on the outside.” That is increasingly the direction in which the football world is heading. But I’m not looking into it too deeply. I’m just trying to do my best and create as much as I can. That’s the way it is.”
When it comes to statistics, De Bruyne has a similar approach to the United midfielder, as he stated this week the importance of learning from mistakes and ignoring the facts behind certain actions on the field.
“A lot of the time, when people make mistakes, they don’t do it anymore,” he remarked. When I make a mistake, I try to do it again.
“I believe it’s a method of learning where you go wrong and understanding more when you make mistakes.” Maybe I see things differently than other folks. For example, pass completion is a word that I dislike.
“It’s not essential to me since it doesn’t define the way I play football in any way.” As a result, I don’t consider it.”
Both De Bruyne and Eriksen understand that assisting their teammates to victory on the field is considerably more valuable than individual accomplishment. Ten Hag will be pleased with his midfielder’s approach to matches so far this season, and while recognition for performances is vital, the Dutchman won’t mind if Eriksen continues to put in performances of the caliber that he has so far this season.
