City star admits United have one player who can ‘produce magic on the drop of a hat’



Ahead of both England and Denmark locking horns in their second group-stage fixture this evening, Kyle Walker has reserved special praise for one of his opponents.

Indeed, the Manchester City captain has singled out a direct club rival in the form of Christian Eriksen as one player who could significantly damage the Three Lions’ hopes of qualifying this evening.

Eriksen is one of Manchester United’s eight representatives out in Germany and is currently one of only two to have scored at the tournament – along with Scott McTominay for Scotland last night. Albeit, that one came with much deliberation from the officials.

During the Danes’ opener against Slovenia last Sunday, the midfielder confidently finished off an impressive passage of play to give his nation the lead. It was a touching moment given that it comes three years on from when he suffered a cardiac arrest in the 2021 Euros, so it was incredibly fitting that it was him to get his team off the mark this time around.

Denmark’s midfielder #10 Christian Eriksen celebrates scoring his team’s first goal. (Photo by DAMIEN MEYER / AFP)

He’ll be hoping to do so tonight, as well, especially as Kasper Hjulmand’s side went on to concede to Slovenia and ultimately settle for a point after drawing 1-1.

England will enter the tie as favourites given the world-class depth at Gareth Southgate’s disposal, however, it was a cagey affair when they took on Serbia over the weekend, particularly in the second half. Jude Bellingham headed home to break the deadlock after 13 minutes, and they were unable to add to their lead while the Serbians gradually grew into the game.

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Walker heaps praise onto Eriksen’s shoulders

When previewing the match, which kicks off at 5pm UK time in Frankfurt, Walker lauded the effect Eriksen can have on a game, as has been the case throughout his whole career.

“I think that you have to give [Denmark] the level of respect that they deserve,” Walker began in an interview with The Independent. “Obviously, they’ve got a number of players in the Premier League.

“I played a number of years with Christian Eriksen at Tottenham [Hotspur]. And, in some moments, he can produce magic on [at] the drop of the hat.

“We go into the game fully focused and wanting the three points as we did the other night, and, hopefully, we can play a little bit better in the second-half [than we did against Serbia] and hopefully, the nerves have gone a little bit.”