Christian Eriksen would shine at Bayern Munich if his time at Tottenham is winding to a close, says ex-Spurs midfielder Steffen Freund.

Eriksen missed Saturday's 1-1 draw against Watford with a dead leg and has been in and out of Mauricio Pochettino's first XI during a fitful start to the season, which finds Spurs lying seventh in the Premier League with three wins from nine matches.

The Denmark playmaker is expected to return for Tuesday's crunch Champions League clash against Red Star Belgrade, where Tottenham will look to bounce back from a chastening 7-2 thrashing at home to Bayern.

Speculation over Eriksen's future has been rife in recent months, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.

Despite the influence of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, Freund believes the 27-year-old remains the key man at Tottenham – an outstanding assist for Yussuf Poulsen in Denmark's 1-0 win over Switzerland in Euro 2020 qualification this month underlining his quality.

"Sure, Eriksen makes the difference for Tottenham. This is one of the reasons why Tottenham are struggling at the moment," Freund told Omnisport, speaking courtesy of the UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour, driven by the new Nissan Juke.

"He was a difference-maker for them. Yes, they have Kane and Son, but Christian Eriksen with his free-kicks, maybe you saw his assist against Switzerland - he is on the sideline, looks one way but sees Poulsen on the other side and plays a perfect no-look pass.

"He has incredible quality. And Bayern can use this quality any time."

Bayern visit Olympiacos in possession of top spot in Group B but they have not been as authoritative domestically this season.

Chasing an eighth consecutive Bundesliga title, Niko Kovac's side are third after their weekend draw at Augsburg – the fourth time in eight top-flight matches they have failed to take three points.