Eriksen bringing big-game experience

The Denmark international may never have been part of one of the fiercest rivalries in the game but has, of course, come up against the Merseyiders in the past and also appeared in big derbies in the Netherlands, north London and Italy.

So he is well versed in what to expect come 20:00 BST on Monday, when Erik ten Hag's side look to kickstart our season after the damaging defeats against Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford.

During an interview with United Review, the official matchday programme, Eriksen recalled playing in De Klassieker, the Eredivisie scrap between old foes Ajax and Feyenoord, Amsterdam against Rotterdam.

"That was one of the first derbies I played in," he said. "That was very, very intense. At the time, I was very, very young so to get into those games was tough.

"I think away fans were not allowed at the games because they were so aggressive with each other. But it was nice and a good vibe, and we were luckily on the better side, as our Ajax sides were winning the games more often than Feyenoord, which always makes it easier."

At Premier League level, the midfielder discovered what it is like to be a Tottenham player meeting Arsenal on derby day, and also faced numerous all-London battles during his time with Spurs and, more recently, Brentford.

"Not just the north London derbies too, but all the London derbies were getting more aggressive in general," he admitted. "Because a lot of the clubs were up and down,  depending on where they were in the league, which would add to the pressure.

"They were tough but derbies are also the ones that people tune in to watch."

The passion and intensity of the Milan derby, also left its mark on the playmaker, even though he only got to taste it once during his stay at Internazionale.

"Yeah, the derby I played was just before lockdown, in the cup," he recalled. "My second home game. That was special. The fans in Italy – the tifosi they call them – and the stadium makes it even more special. Each club has one side of the stadium – Inter north, Milan south – and you get the whole vibe of the people against each other.

"It’s very special, and it’s a lovely place to play and a lovely club."

Read the full interview with Christian Eriksen in Monday night's United Review.