Man Utd star hints at frustration over lack of minutes this season

Christian Eriksen has admitted he does not know why he is not starting games for Manchester United this season but stressed that his primary concern is seeing the team win.

Eriksen has started just four games in all competitions this year and has instead been forced to accept a role as an impact substitute.

The Dane came off the bench against Kobenhavn on Tuesday and provided the match-winning assist for Harry Maguire, after which manager Erik ten Hag acknowledged Eriksen's introduction had been the catalyst for the team's win,

Despite stressing that team success is his top priority, Eriksen did confess his disappointment towards his reduced role this year.

"Ask the manager why I’m starting on the bench, that’s out of my hands," Eriksen told TNT Sports. "But obviously I want to play as much as possible. Obviously, the manager is looking the other way, but at the moment if you win like this, it’s worth it."

• LISTEN TO THE LATEST EPISODE OF 90MIN'S MAN UTD PODCAST, THE PROMISED LAND: RATCLIFFE COMMITTEE DETAILS REVEALED

Eriksen's latest comments come after he acknowledged Ten Hag prefers a different type of midfielder during the latest international break.

"I think you should ask the coach what he thinks," he told Ekstrabladet. "We have been hit hard by injuries in defence. We have simply conceded too many goals. I was sick last week, but I’m doing fine. I don’t have any flaws. The body feels good and of course, I want to play every game.

"But if you have seen the matches yourself, you may also see that [Ten Hag] plays with slightly different types than me."

Eriksen was a regular starter under Ten Hag last season, starting 25 out of the 29 Premier League games for which he was available, but this summer's signings of Mason Mount and Sofyan Amrabat have increased the competition for minutes at Old Trafford.

The 31-year-old remains under contract with United until 2025.

READ THE LATEST MAN UTD NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP