Outgoing Man Utd star admits Red Devils were lucky not to be relegated
Manchester United played out their worst ever season in the Premier League with a summer overhaul set to take place and Christian Eriksen reckons the team were lucky to not be relegated
Christian Eriksen believes Manchester United were 'lucky' to not be relegated this season. The Red Devils finished 15th in the Premier League as they recorded their worst ever performance in the division.
United were 17 points clear of the bottom three but languished scarcely above it for much of the season. A win over Aston Villa on the final day of the season helped open up the gap but Ruben Amorim's side suffered 18 defeats across 2024/25 in the league.
Eriksen scored at Old Trafford to sign off his three-year spell with United. The Danish midfielder's contract expires in the coming weeks, along with that of Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof.
The 33-year-old was not able to end his stint with success after the club missed out on Europa League success against Eriksen's former team, Tottenham. The ex-Ajax ace is confident United will improve next season.
Eriksen believes it has proved difficult to adapt from Erik ten Hag to Amorim, but that United's squad should have done more based upon their individual quality.
"I think unfortunately there's been a lot of lows this season with the games, and obviously the final was the missing piece. It's football," said Eriksen.
"For me now, I think people are lucky that we are where we are, not relegated with the season we've had. It's a bit of luck, you have to acknowledge. Next season it has to be better, and I'm sure it will be. I'm looking forward to watching it from the sides.
"I think you've seen progress but, of course, the results haven't really shown that. One hundred per cent the results haven't shown that.
"I think the football we came from (Erik) Ten Hag to this is obviously going to take time to adapt, and obviously it's been far below the standard of the club and the players here.
"I think the players individually are very, very good players, and they should never be where we are in the table. It's up to them to turn around but, yeah, I'm confident they'll be a very different team next season, I'm sure."
Eriksen is yet to decide upon his next step but remains unflustered. The Dane has options after enjoying his stay at Old Trafford.
"I think it was the perfect ending to a bad season," he said. "I was happy to see that go in and finish off like I started, with a smile on my face.
"I've really enjoyed my time. It's a club I've always looked up to – the club size and everything around it. I've loved the pressure, loved the style of play with the different managers and the people at the club.
"I mean, they've taken really good care of me and my family, so in that sense I've had three very, very good years. Obviously it's been a lot of ups and downs in football, but I think in general I've had a special time.
"First of all there's a bit of a holiday and national team. Then after we'll see where next season starts, but at the moment there's nothing (lined up). There are options."
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool icon sends clear warning to Man Utd - 'There'll be more Garnachos'
Alejandro Garnacho looks likely to leave Manchester United after falling out with Ruben Amorim, having expressed his frustration with his manager, and Graeme Souness believes it points to a "culture" problem at the club Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has warned Manchester United"there'll be more Alejandro Garnachos" if they don't change their culture at the club. Garnacho appears to have fallen out with manager Ruben Amorim after being benched for the Europa League final defeat against Tottenham - and left out altogether for the final day clash against Aston Villa. Garnacho is the latest player to have clashed with Amorim after Marcus Rashford, with both players struggling to deliver on their promise after being dropped by Amorim at various points this season. Rashford is almost certain to depart if United can identify a club who will pay their £40million asking price, while Garnacho is also expected to leave after Amorim reportedly told him he must "pray" he could find a new team. After their Europa League loss to Spurs, Garnacho admitted his frustration over not being picked and said the team's season was "s***". Souness - who played 354 times for the Reds before managing them for three years in the 1990s - feels both players are examples of a poor culture in the dressing room and said there was "too much money and respect" influencing young players. "The fact Alejandro Garnacho has been told he can leave Manchester United underlines why I have persistently said he is a classic example of a young player who has had too much too soon," he told the Daily Mail. "That's too much admiration, too much money, too much respect from within the football club and too much from outside, from the public. It puts players like him in a headspace that is detrimental to their growth as a human being and as a football player. It's compounded by the fact he is at Manchester United where a player's profile, even before he has even appeared regularly for the club, is bigger and wider than with any other club in the country. "Marcus Rashford, has one season of scoring 30 goals and what does the club do? Give him over £300,000 a week. Look at how that has worked out." Souness claimed there weren't enough experienced leaders in the dressing room to help Garnacho stay grounded and cited Cristiano Ronaldo as a player who the youngster could have benefited learning more from. He insisted when he was a player, he felt "insignificant" despite being club captain, because manager Ronnie Moran kept them on their toes. "You often hear United managers talk about the culture being wrong. Who does Garnacho have to look up to in that dressing room, that is setting an example? Someone he would want to become. They had the best example in the world and let him go: Cristiano Ronaldo. He would have been worth keeping for the example he set. Staying on after training, dedicating his lifestyle to the sport. "At Liverpool you were never allowed to have a big head on your shoulders. That's why I cite Ronnie Moran as the greatest influence on my career. I was captain of Liverpool, but I felt insignificant. Statistics tell you we were pretty good, but Ronnie never let us become 'Billy Big Heads'." Garnacho is now being linked with a move to Chelsea after returning from the club's post-season tour to Asia. The 20-year-old made it clear he was unhappy to travel after uploading a picture of the airport runway after getting back home, with the caption: "Finally". Napoli have also been mentioned as an interested party in the player who managed 10 goals and nine assists in all competitions for United this season.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
PLAY TEAMSHEET: Can YOU name the Man City side that beat Arsenal 6-3 in 2013? Or pick YOUR team and guess their starting XI
Welcome back to Teamsheet... Mail Sport's original football memory game with a twist that gives you the chance to test your football knowledge against your mates. Today, we are heading back to December 2013 when Manchester City faced Arsenal at the Etihad. A nine-goal thriller ensued, with City eventually prevailing 6-3. But can you remember the City XI that Manuel Pellegrini picked that day? It's just for fun, so see how you fare and share your Teamsheet score... full instructions on how to play are at the bottom of the article and in the game itself. And you can also pick any team you like and guess their starting XI. Best of luck! HOW TO PLAY The aim of the game is to score as few points as possible! If you guess a player at the first attempt you score one point - so the lowest score for guessing every player at the first attempt is 11. Guess a correct letter in the right position, and it'll turn green. Guess a correct letter but in the wrong position, and it'll turn yellow. You have six guesses for each player - and if you fail, we'll reveal their identity for 11 points! You can also ask for a free letter, but it costs you a point. So play on to see if you'll score the best possible total of 11 - or fail on every player and score 121.
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Gary Lineker names his ‘favourite' to win Ballon d'Or ahead of Mohamed Salah
Gary Lineker has named his 'favourite' to win the Ballon d'Or ahead of Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah. Despite intense speculation over a departure from Anfield, Salah enjoyed arguably his best season at the club, scoring a league best 29 goals in the Premier League. Salah's form helped Arne Slot's Liverpool clinch the Premier League title and led to calls for the Egyptian to bag his first Ballon d'Or award, given to the best footballer in the world over the past year. But Lineker believes Salah, 32, will be left disappointed yet again and has tipped Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League winner Ousmane Dembele to be recognised as the best player on the planet. Dembele starred in PSG's maiden Champions League triumph and also helped Luis Enrique's side clinch a domestic double, scoring 33 goals in all competitions. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. 'We have to come to the inevitable question of the Ballon d'Or,' ex-England striker and Match of the Day host Lineker said on The Rest is Football podcast. 'It's obviously hugely influenced generally by the team that wins the Champions League. But in some ways because of the nature of PSG's teamwork it doesn't come down to one individual. 'You could probably give it to quite a few of their players. I suppose Dembele will be the favourite. He had a couple of really good moments in the final despite not getting a goal. 'He was very involved in quite a few of the goals, one assist and maybe a pre-assist as well. I think he will probably be favourite now. 'Donnaruma might have a slight chance but goalkeepers rarely get it. Maybe Hakimi as well.' Premier League record goalscorer Alan Shearer added: 'I would guess Dembele, he would probably be the favourite for it now.' PSG beat Premier League clubs Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal on route to the final and then thrashed Inter Milan 5-0 to lift the trophy. Following the final, Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard said on TNT Sports: 'Does Luis Enrique deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Carlo Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho or Pep Guardiola? The answer is yes. 'This team he has created and put together over the past year or two can beat you in any given way. 'The talent across this squad – it is a special group of players and they're getting coached by a special person as well.' More Trending Meanwhile, Salah recently discussed his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or, admitting he used to be obsessed with the prospect of landing the gong. 'It used to drive me crazy before,' Salah, who has signed a new deal to stay at Anfield, told Sky Sports. 'Some stuff is not in your hands so you give up in that direction. 'When you go to work you remind yourself what you want to achieve in the season so it drives you to work harder. 'I'd love to win it one day. But if it didn't happen, it's okay. I'm sure there's a good chance to win it this year, but we'll see.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Reason Gary Lineker's final interview with Mohamed Salah was 'scrapped' revealed MORE: Rio Ferdinand says it 'hurts' that Man Utd were beaten to £29.5m signing by bitter rivals MORE: Liverpool fans fear £37m star is leaving after girlfriend's social media post
