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Erik ten Hag must drop Christian Eriksen vs Arsenal after underwhelming display at Crystal Palace

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag must drop midfielder Christian Eriksen against Arsenal on Sunday following his underwhelming performance at Crystal Palace last night.

The Dane has looked far from his best since reclaiming a starting role, but Ten Hag still chose to start him alongside Kobbie Mainoo in the centre of the park against the Eagles.

The decision did not prove worthwhile as the 32-year-old struggled to control the proceedings. He failed to win any of his ground and aerial duels contested at Selhurst Park.

He also lost possession on 15 occasions over 90 minutes with a passing accuracy of 82 per cent.

In comparison, Mainoo was vastly better with eight duels won and a passing success rate of 94 per cent. The club graduate lost possession on only seven occasions in the game.

In our view, Eriksen must be dropped from the starting XI when United host Arsenal at Old Trafford.

The former Inter Milan man has shown signs of regression in the current campaign and we don’t believe he has justified his selection in the starting line-up over recent weeks.

Bruno Fernandes missed the first senior game of his career with an ankle and wrist injury. The club captain was a huge miss yesterday. United lacked the cutting edge in the final third.

The fans will be hoping that he will be available to face the Gunners. If the Portuguese were to return to the XI, Mount could play in a deeper number eight role, replacing Eriksen.

Otherwise, we would prefer Sofyan Amrabat partnering Mainoo with Mount in the number 10 role. Amrabat won three duels last night and looked lively in his 30-minute performance.

Stats from Sofascore.com