An exclusive pre-Brentford interview with Christian Eriksen

The Dane arrived at United in July following the expiration of his contract at fellow Premier League club Brentford, who just so happen to be our hosts on Saturday.

Ahead of his return to the capital, Eriksen sat down with club reporter Joe Ganley to preview the test against Thomas Frank's side, and give an insight into his first month as a United player.

You can read the full transcript of the Q&A below...

 

Firstly Christian, how would you sum up your first few weeks as a Manchester United player on and off the pitch?
"They’ve been nice. It’s a good group of players and staff, and around the training ground it’s been nice to be here."

Have you had much time to explore the city / surrounding countryside yet?
"Yeah. We’ve looked around a few [areas] for houses and schools and apartments, and whatever we looked at. We’ve been around, but at the moment it’s sunny of course, so it’s a completely different vibe to what I was expecting!"

You can see it’s a total myth that it rains in Manchester…
"It did at the start; the first two weeks it did rain every day! The last two weeks have been very good. But of course, it’s nice to be here if it’s sunny or raining. It comes with the [territory]."

How have you found your reception from the fans around the city and Old Trafford?
"They’ve been very good to me. In Norway, at the stadium there, the fans have taken very good care of me. I feel the love from them."

You mention the game in Oslo. What is the relationship between the Norwegians and the Danes?
"I think they [cheered] because they support United, not that they support Danish people! But I think in Scandinavia we follow each other. But I think people still follow Norway, follow Sweden, and see where they are and compare a little bit. Are they better than us? Are they worse? Then we see where we are."

You already seem very popular at Old Trafford. The fans were applauding you when you walked over to take corners…
"Yeah, that’s lovely, it’s very nice. It’s been a very, very nice reception from the fans – in the whole stadium, not only at the corners, but in general. It’s been a very heartfelt welcoming."

Result aside, how did it feel stepping out at Old Trafford for the first time for your full debut as a Red?
"It was special. It was a different colour shirt and a different vibe to it; a different support compared to normally when I played away [here]. But it’s a special place, and you feel the whole scenery, the whole stadium. It’s the Theatre of Dreams!"

You’re heading back to Brentford this weekend – tell us about your time there.
"I had a very, very nice time at Brentford. Obviously it wasn’t as long as the other contracts I’ve had, but it was a perfect timing [in terms] of where I was at the time. Brentford helped me in every way, in that sense, so I’m thankful for whatever they did. I had a lovely time."

What stood out about the club? It’s fairly new in the Premier League, so United fans might not know so much about them…
"They take care of each other. They’re really familiar with everyone and there’s a good vibe at the training ground. They’re hard workers and they know that they need to work hard to get results, and that really gets into the whole core of the club and also the players."

What are their main strengths as a team? Which players should we look out for?
"They have a lot of good players. Obviously when you play with them you see how they really are and what they’re capable of. You see more situations with the players than you normally do when you play against them for [just] 90 minutes. But they have some very good players. The striker, Ivan Toney, is very good. The keeper, David [Raya], has been very good, [Christian] Norgaard, of the Danish guys. The Danish guys are always good! They have good players in midfield and all round, and a few players that are very good."

How do we put that Brighton result behind us? Disappointing of course, but it’s just one game and there are 37 left to go…
"Exactly. That’s how also how we see it. Of course it was a setback, but it’s also a step on the road. We know it’s a long road, a long season, so for us it was not the best start, but there’s only one way to turn that around and that is against Brentford on Saturday."