Monday afternoon in a Greater Manchester market town. Rays of sunshine beating down on the streets. Every table, bench and seat outside the cafe-bars taken. Faces feeling the warmth of the sun.
It was the day after the Manchester derby, in which, six miles down the road at Old Trafford, the two Manchester clubs played out a scoreless draw for the first time in five years.
There was plenty of fallout and talk in the aftermath of that result. But the mood on the streets of Altrincham seemed to have been elevated by the glorious weather.
Sky Sports are inside Toast, a cosy cafe-bar that had closed its doors to the public as we patiently waited for Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund to arrive.
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The phrase ‘Coffee is always a good idea’ has been decorated onto a red-brick pillar near to where we were sitting. The atmosphere was calm and relaxed.
Hojlund ordered a cappuccino with oat milk but Eriksen went for water. He has never been one for coffee, as he told me before we sat down to talk about Manchester United’s season.
Neither player shied away from the disappointment of it as both tried to explain and make sense of why it’s been so hard to turn things around.
The club’s Europa League hopes are still alive after a 2-2 draw away to Lyon in the first leg of their quarter-final on Thursday but the night finished on a low note as Andre Onana’s second error of the game saw them lose their lead in stoppage time.
Eriksen told Sky Sports: “There’s been a lot of talk in this season, but at the same time, we’re at United, so you know there’s going to be a lot of focus on the club and on the players and everything.
Rasmus Hojlund has scored eight goals in all competitions this season
“There have been lots of ups and downs and a few more downs than what we wanted. But we’re still in the Europa League, and then at the same time we will continue pushing in the league until the end.”
Eriksen is in his third season at Manchester United having joined under Ruben Amorim’s predecessor Erik ten Hag.
“When I arrived with Ten Hag, obviously it was a bit of a different playing style, a bit of a different philosophy of playing,” he says.
“Now, it’s a bit of a different system and you have to adapt to that. Often, when you’re in a season, it’s tougher to turn things around because everyone is already in the rhythm of the manager before, but I think you’re seeing a progression.
Sunday 13th April 4:00pm
Kick off 4:30pm
“People are getting more used to the system, the positions they are playing in. It’s more about getting that proper transformation in a good way.”
Sitting alongside his fellow Denmark international, Hojlund adds: “I think if you ask the manager, he wants it to be done by tomorrow.
“But it’s the same for us as well. We want to do it as best as possible and we want to change it as fast as possible. There’s no recipe to these sort of things. It comes with time.”
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A lot has been said about Hojlund’s numbers in front of goal this season. He has only scored three times in the Premier League and he endured another difficult night against Lyon on Thursday.
Hojlund is aware of the need for improvement but Amorim said the lack of goals is a “team problem” and not the fault of Manchester United’s No 9 at the start of the year.
Hojlund is grateful for the support of his manager and determined to change his fortunes.
“I want to score 100 goals tomorrow if I can, but it’s about progression and keep focusing about what you can do, and how you can get to that level,” he says.
“That’s what we’re trying to do every day, being interested about learning new things, wanting to become better.
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“I think we’re trying to build an environment now where we can grow and where we can develop ourselves.
“I think it’s a very young group as well. There’s a lot of young people and young players coming through now, which is sort of we’re helping each other. The competition getting sharper, and it helps each other to make us better.
“Obviously, it’s important to have players like Christian and a little bit older players who can get through with that experience that they have.”
Eriksen spoke to Sky Sports last month about Hojlund following the 1-1 draw against Arsenal. You could feel the strength of the friendship between the two and how the 33-year-old midfielder looks out for his United team-mate on and off the pitch.
“If you are 20 years old and you come to a club like United, the pressure is on straight away,” says Eriksen.
“You have to learn to live with it and deal with it really early on.
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“I’m sure Rasmus has found his way in some way, and, like he said, you always have to learn and develop.
“But I think, especially here with all the focus from the outside, the spotlight is on you. In a bad time at the club, then obviously it’s going to be a lot harder mentally.
“It’s very hard for a lot of the young guys where it’s the first time going through this kind of pressure. But I can only imagine, if you go through it, how happy and how easy you will feel afterwards. It’s just about really pushing through and finding your way.”
Hojlund picks up, saying: “Christian has been great. He’s done it in a calm way. He’s not been like a father with me and said what to do and sort of things, he’s just sort of helped me settle.
“He helped me with where to live and these sorts of things. But he’s also been great at just approaching me at the right times, and also giving me the input that he could see I needed sometimes.
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“I think I’ve got to find my own way. So he’s been great at understanding when to help me and when just to leave me to find my own way, if you can put it that way. And that’s helped me a lot.”
Hojlund continues: “I knew that was part of the package when I signed. It is what it is. It’s part of the story of being a Manchester United player.
“You get criticised if you’re not performing to the level and if you’re not up there where the club wants to be, which is completely fair.
“But like Christian is also saying, you can’t get into a hole emotionally. You need to keep yourself sorted and find your own way to perform and that’s what we’re here for.”
What is the most important piece of advice Eriksen would give his younger self or a player like Hojlund right now?
“I think in general, not just for Rasmus, but for everyone, it’s finding your own way, because every club is different, any manager, whoever comes through, it’s going to be a different perspective, a different view from the outside, from the inside,” he says.
“So it’s really about finding your own way as a player, finding out why you perform, why you don’t perform, and then from there, just trying to build on it.
“That was my aim from early on, and that would probably be my advice looking back.”
Watch the interview with Christen Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund on Soccer Saturday from midday Saturday. Newcastle vs Man Utd is live on Sky Sports on Super Sunday; kick-off 4.30pm.
