Man Utd players must prove we deserve silverware, says Eriksen

Manchester United’s players must prove they deserve silverware as they continue to battle on multiple fronts under Erik ten Hag, according to midfielder Christian Eriksen.

The Red Devils defeated Burnley 2-0 on their return to action on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup, where third-tier Charlton Athletic await.

Ten Hag’s side are also still in the Europa League, albeit with Barcelona up next in the knockout round play-offs, while their FA Cup campaign begins against Everton next month.

Having not won a trophy since their Europa League success in the 2016-17 campaign, Eriksen accepts United are not in a position to prioritise certain competitions.

“It’s been a few years since winning a trophy the last time,” Eriksen, who arrived at United as a free agent in July, told talkSPORT.

“From where the club were to where we are now, the aim is to focus on every competition and see where we are in the end.

“It hasn’t specifically been said that we have to win this or win that – all of the players just want to win as much as possible.

“But to get there we first need to prove that we deserve to be there. It’s about every tournament. Like you saw against Burnley, even the [EFL Cup] is important for us.”

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Eriksen played the full 90 minutes against Burnley and opened the scoring at Old Trafford, before Marcus Rashford doubled United’s lead in the second period.

That was United’s first match in six weeks due to the World Cup break, which saw an early exit for Eriksen and his below-par Denmark side at Qatar 2022.

Fifth-placed United now face Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Bournemouth in the space of a week as the Premier League resumes, and Eriksen is glad to be back playing.

“I think it’s nice to be back,” he said. “It was important to get through to the next round in the cup and get the feeling of everyone being back and getting the win.”