Eriksen targets run in cup after Euro exit

UNITED midfielder Christian Eriksen is targeting a successful FA Cup run this season ahead of tomorrow night’s third round tie with Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium.

The FA Cup is United’s only realistic hope of winning a trophy this season and Eriksen, who vowed to look forward following last weekend’s defeat to Nottingham

Forest, is hopeful the Reds can go far in the world’s oldest club competition this term.

Eriksen, speaking to United’s club website, said: “I heard the other day it was the oldest tournament in the world and as I said, I’ve been in England for a long time and the FA Cup has always been something special to the fans and to the players for each club in it.

“It’s definitely a good start of the year, I think we’ll take that very seriously to go through. There’ll be less games in the new year (after being eliminated from European football), it’s up to us to have a lot of better games in the league and go far in the FA Cup.”

United reached both domestic cup finals last season, beating Newcastle United 2-0 in February to lift the Carabao Cup before being beaten by City just over three months later.

Having reached the finals of both competitions, there will be an expectancy to reach at least one of them this time around.

You have to go back to 2014 for the last time United were dumped out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle, losing 2-1 to Swansea City in the third round. Wilfried Bony scored a last-gasp winner after Javier Hernandez had earlier cancelled out Wayne Routledge’s opener.