Man Utd: Christian Eriksen spoke to three previous managers before joining club

Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen says he held talks with three previous Manchester United managers about a potential move before finally joining the club this summer.

The former Ajax, Tottenham, Inter Milan and Brentford player has signed a three-year contract at Old Trafford.

Eriksen spoke to ex United bosses Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but the timing was wrong.

Eriksen added that new United boss Erik ten Hag was key to him now joining.

"I've spoken to every manager who's been here at Man United to see what the situation was, but the timing wasn't there" said Eriksen, 30.

"I was at Spurs for a long time and wanted to try something abroad. I went to Inter and ended up having a lovely time.

"But then obviously something happened that changed the career path I had in mind. To be here is something I didn't think could happen a year ago."

Eriksen returned to football earlier this year after having an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) fitted following his cardiac arrest at last summer's Euros.

Unable to remain at Inter because of rules in Italy which prohibit anyone playing with an ICD, Eriksen spent the second half of last season with Brentford on a short-term deal.

Bees boss Thomas Frank was keen to keep Eriksen and in the end, it came down to a straight choice between them and United as Tottenham boss Antonio Conte backed away from trying to lure the midfielder back to north London, where he spent seven years after join Spurs from Ajax in 2013.

"Tottenham was only talk," Eriksen said. "They never really came with anything so it wasn't really a thing for me to go back.

"I had good conversations with Manchester United. It was very positive from the first few phone calls and it felt like the club wanted me, so it was on for a long time.

"[Ten Hag's presence] definitely helped. How he sees football and how he wants to play suits my style of play and how I developed as a player at Ajax many years ago."

After pre-season appearances against Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano, Eriksen has put himself in with a chance of selection for the Premier League opener with Brighton at Old Trafford on 7 August despite missing the pre-season trip to Thailand and Australia.

The major uncertainty is where Eriksen will play.

Against Rayo Vallecano he operated behind Cristiano Ronaldo in a role usually occupied by Bruno Fernandes.

Choosing between the pair would seem like a waste of their creative abilities and Eriksen is convinced they can fit into the same team.

"I can't see any problem playing with Bruno," he said.

"I'll be happy to play wherever, I've always been like that. I try to adapt to the position I'm playing in.

"From the outside it might look like when you play as a 10 you have to stay in the middle. It's not like that anymore, luckily. But obviously, there's good and bad in every position."