Manchester United given boost as Erik ten Hag confirms star man is fit to face West Ham in PL fixture

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has said that midfielder Christian Eriksen is fit to return for the Premier League game at West Ham United on Saturday (December 23).

Eriksen, 31, sustained a knee injury in the 1-0 league win over Luton Town in November and missed the subsequent international break for Denmark. Expected to be out for at least one month, the Dane has missed eight games for his club side.

However, in a heartening update, Ten Hag said that Eriksen will be available for the West Ham game in London at the weekend. The Dutchman told the club's media before the game (as per the Red Devils' website):

"We have some returns that are very useful. The one we are pleased to have is the return of Christian Eriksen in the squad. We also have doubts. We had some illness in the week, so we will have to see how they recover tomorrow."

Eriksen has made 15 apppearances across competitions, contributing a goal and two assists. The lone goal came in the 3-2 home win over Nottingham Forest in the league.

One of the two assists came in the 3-1 league defeat at Arsenal, while the other came in the 1-0 UEFA Champions League home win over FC Copenhagen on matchday three.

How have Manchester United fared this season?

Manchester United are in the midst of a hugely underwhelming campaign, having lost a whopping 12 times across competitions. Seven of them have come in the league, where they're are seventh in the standings after 17 games, 11 behind leaders Arsenal.

Erik ten Hag's side fared no better in Europe, finishing a dismal fourth in their UEFA Champions League group, losing four of their six games. Their other defeat came in the third round of the EFL Cup, where their title defence ended in a whimper.

However, the Red Devils are coming off a heartening goalless league draw at Liverpool last weekend. That ended Jurgen Klopp's side's perfect home record in the league this season.