One to watch - Christian Eriksen

With the UEFA U21 Championships set to commence in Denmark on 11^th June 2011, we will be running a series of features highlighting the players to watch during this tournament. We are kicking it off with the hometown hero hoping to deliver the U21 title to Danish fans. He has been dubbed “the new Michael Laudrup” and plays for the club where the legendary Laudrup ended his career. He is none other than Ajax Amsterdam’s latest wonderkid, Christian Eriksen.

PROFILE:
Club	Ajax Amsterdam
Squad No	8
Position	Attacking Midfielder (RCL)
Nationality	Danish
Age	19
Height	1.75m
Weight	71kg
Career Record: Club International	67 apps 9 goals 11 apps 0 goals

BACKGROUND

Eriksen was born in Middelfart on the 14^th February 1992. He signed for Odense Boldklub and competed in the Danish youth championships. His team lost in semi-finals against Brondby IF.  Eriksen, however, was named as the “Best Technical Player” of the tournament and his talent was already beginning to shine through. The following season, Eriksen lead his team to victory in the tournament.

Eriksen received his first International call up at youth team level when being selected for the Denmark U17 team in 2007. During his first year at this level, he established himself as the star of the team scoring 9 goals in 16 games. He was named “Danish U17 Talent of the Year”. His performances at youth team level did not go unnoticed and Ajax Amsterdam, who are world renowned for their talent spotting and youth structures snapped him up on a two and half year contract. It was speculated that Ajax paid €1 million to secure his services. He spent a couple of seasons in the Ajax Reserves and was promoted to first team squad in 2010. He made his debut in the in the Dutch Eredevsie match against NAC Breda in March of that year. A month later, amidst interest from some of Europe’s heavyweights, Eriksen extended his contract with Ajax until the summer of 2014, stating, "I can still learn a lot here, I'm not finished yet and I hope I can mean a lot for the club”.

Eriksen was a star at youth team level and his talent shone above the rest

In February 2010, after representing Denmark at U18 and U19 level, Erikson received his first senior Denmark team selection call. He made his debut in the friendly Against Austria. He became the 4^th youngest Full International to play for Denmark. A few months later, he was on plane to South Africa, becoming the youngest player to feature at the World Cup.

The youngest footballer to play in the World Cup 2010

This season has seen Eriksen establish himself in the Ajax first team and he has become an integral member of the squad making 46 appearances in all competitions and scoring 8 times. Former Ajax Manager has likened the starlet to Ajax’s youth products, Wesley Sneijder and Rafael Van Der Vaart, and Danish legend, Michael Laudrup. After his outstanding season in 2010/2011, he was named Ajax´s “Talent of the Year”. On 23 May 2011, he became “Talent of the Year” in The Netherlands. He was elected by a jury under command of Holland's all-time best player Johan Cruyff. "He's a player I really like with all my heart," Cruyff praised Eriksen. "This prize is just the beginning, a stimulus to get the maximum out of his career. The talent is there, the recognition also; now it is up to the player himself. He is a typical product of the Danish school. You can compare him with Brian and Michael Laudrup. Only time will tell if Eriksen can reach the same level as them."

Eriksen has the talent to make it to the top of world football

The likes of Arsenal, Barcelona, Liverpool and Juventus are still circling around the young superstar, yet he still maintains that he can learn a lot at Ajax. He has stated a preference to play for Barcelona but has since gone back on that and said that a move to English Premier League is an option when he bulks up a bit more.

PLAYING STYLE

Eriksen is very calm in possession and has the vision to unlock any defense. He generally operates in a role just behind the striker (the classic no.10 role) but he can also operate on the right or left side in a 4-3-3. He is not a big player but what he lacks in height, he certainly makes up for in technical ability, positional sense and speed. For someone so young he is well grounded, intelligent and keen to expand his game. Eriksen has shown some weak points to his game. In his 17 appearances for Ajax in 2009/2010, he failed to score despite being presented with a number of good opportunities. This is a facet of his game that needs to be improved and should with more playing time at the top level. His talent however cannot be denied and Martin Jol said of his potential, "I have to be very wrong if this player will not become a good, a very good or a top player."

I have to agree with Martin Jol, this boy has all the attributes to make it to the very top of the game. If he can remain injury free, we could be looking at a future Ballon d’Or winner. Eriksen will certainly have me glued to the tube for the U21 Championships.

If you want to form your own opinions, have a look at this skills and goals compilation of Christian Eriksen: