Why Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants James Maddison over Christian Eriksen

Bengaluru, Sep 14: Two players who have been consistently linked with a move to Manchester United in recent months are Tottenham Hotsur superstar midfielder Christian Eriksen and Leicester City playmaker James Maddison.

Both these players are in the same role i.e. the number ten role and it is quite evident that the Red Devils are in dire need of a quality player in that position. However, it is quite fair to say that Eriksen is much more experienced between the two and already a world-class player. Whereas Maddison, who is now 22 years of age, is still quite young and needs to go a long way to reach the level of his Spurs counterpart.

However, recent reports in England claim that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has reportedly told Manchester United that he would prefer a move for James Maddison over Christian Eriksen due to various reasons.

The 22-year-old put the likes of Manchester United along with their rivals like Manchester City and Liverpool on red alert after notching up seven goals and seven assists for Leicester City last term in an outstanding debut Premier League campaign.

His magnificent run of form led to an enquiry from Ed Woodward back in June, but Leicester's £80million valuation of the young Englishman put United off a potential deal. Eriksen was also heavily linked this summer after entering into the final 12 months of his current contract, but Spurs managed to keep hold of the 27-year-old playmaker. The north London club will likely be open to offers for Eriksen in January or else risk losing the Dane on a free transfer at the end of the season.

Even though Eriksen could be available on a bargain in winter or even for free next summer, Manchester United prioritizing Maddison over him is a big surprise but several factors could be the reason for that.

Solskjaer's drive to increase the proportion of homegrown talent in his squad could be the key reason for his preference for Maddison. Manchester United right now has some of the best British players in the likes of Rashford, Lingard, McTominay, Shaw and a newly signed trio of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Daniel James and Harry Maguire. Having a British core in the side is something that Solskjaer could want as it would be great for the team chemistry and the sense of togetherness.

Also, Maddison is a player with immense potential that could eclipse Eriksen in the future. Eriksen will be 28 next February which implies that Maddison being more than five years younger offers a long-term future.

Maddison has made his way to the Premier League the hard way in which he has played in League One, Championship and Scottish Premiership which speaks for his hunger to succeed and that calls for a lot of plaudits. That would only act as a positive thing for the Red Devils.