Laird heads to QPR for rest of the campaign
ETHAN Laird has joined Championship side Queens Park Rangers on a season-long loan.
The United academy graduate had experience with Erik ten Hag’s senior side during pre-season, but a switch away for the rest of this campaign is seen as the best route for his development.
Diogo Dalot has cemented himself as first-choice right-back under Ten Hag, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the bench for the first two Premier League games of the season, despite his own future being uncertain.
Laird had been close to a loan move to Watford before that broke down, with the Hornets signing Mario Gaspar from Villarreal instead, but there was other Championship interest in the 21-year-old and he has joined Michael Beale’s side.
The right-back had Championship experience with Swansea and Bournemouth last season and is now hoping to build on that with a side who have won one, drawn one and lost one in their first three games.
“Ethan has been away with United’s first-team for pre-season which is why it has taken a bit of time and a bit of patience to get this over the line,” said Beale.
“It was important we waited for the right one who gives us a lot of options in terms of as a full-back, a wing-back and even higher up the pitch if needed.
“He is very aggressive in terms of one-v-one attacking and he is capable of providing assists as well as goals. He is a young player who will fit in well.”
IT took Christian Eriksen seven words to sum up his and United’s Saturday afternoon at Brentford. Bizarrely booed by fans of the club he spent the second half of last season representing, the Dane was hounded and hassled in an unfamiliar position, targetted by his former team-mates as a weak link in a holding midfield position.
He was pressed constantly and struggled to dictate the tempo from his role in Erik ten Hag’s side.
The player trudged through the mixed zone half an hour after full-time and was asked to stop for a word by the journalists present. “Not today, it was a terrible day.”
Seven words cut to the heart of another United horror show. Bottom of the league, beaten by Brighton and Brentford, with confidence battered and egos bruised. “You should have stayed at a big club,” the home fans taunted Eriksen with. He could indeed be forgiven for wondering what on earth he has done.
It was a parade of glum faces as United’s players made their way to the team coach after the game.
To his credit, David de Gea did front up, asking to speak to the Manchesterbased journalists to take responsibility for what had transpired. Just over three weeks ago he sat in a hotel room in Perth and talked to some of the same group, exuding the positivity that had taken hold in pre-season. It feels a lifetime ago now.
When the players approached fans at the end of the game they were met with brickbats rather than thanks. Cristiano Ronaldo saw what was unfolding and turned on his heels, heading straight for the tunnel.
Once United’s players had got out of