…as Danish midfielder returns to football after heart problem
The 29-year-old playmaker was given a serious health scare when representing his country at the European Championships.
Christian Eriksen, who suffered cardiac arrest at Euro 2020, is back in football at Brentford, with the Bees handing the Danish midfielder a short-term contract to the end of the 2021-22 campaign.
The 29-year-old playmaker suffered a serious health scare when representing his country at the European Championships in the summer of 2021 and has, after being fitted with a defibrillator, been away from competitive action since.
Regulations in Italy prevented him from linking back up with Inter, with his deal having to be terminated at San Siro, but the former Tottenham star is clear to resume his career in the Premier League.
Brentford boss Thomas Frank, who worked with Eriksen in the national youth system of Denmark, told the club’s official website: “I am looking forward to working with Christian again. It has been a while since I last coached him, and a lot has happened since then.
“Christian was 16 at the time and has become one of the best midfield players to appear in the Premier League. He has also won trophies all over Europe and become the star of the Danish national team.
“We have taken an unbelievable opportunity to bring a world class player to Brentford. He hasn’t trained with a team for seven months but has done a lot of work on his own. He is fit but we will need to get him match fit and I am looking forward to seeing him work with the players and staff to get back towards his highest level.
“At his best, Christian has the ability to dictate games of football. He can find the right passes and is a goal threat. He also has very, very good set piece delivery, both from corners and direct free kicks. He is a player you can find with the ball, and he will come up with a solution to the problem in front of him.
“Christian will also bring experience of top level football to the club. I expect him to have an impact in the dressing room and at the training ground.”
Phil Giles, Brentford’s director of football, added: “We first discussed the possibility of Christian joining Brentford when we heard that he would be leaving Inter. It is fantastic that he is now with us.
“Naturally the process of signing Christian was more elongated than most transfers. I understand that many people will have questions about the process. In order to respect Christian’s medical confidentiality, we won’t be going into any details.
“Brentford fans can rest assured that we have undertaken significant due diligence to ensure that Christian is in the best possible shape to return to competitive football. Now Christian has made the decision to sign for Brentford, all parties want to focus fully on football.
“We are sure that Christian will make a big impact at Brentford and on the Premier League between now and the end of the season.”
How has Eriksen worked his way back?
After learning he would be prevented from turning out for Inter again, Eriksen has spent time at a couple of his former clubs in a bid to gain full match fitness.
He initially linked up with OB Odense back in his homeland, before moving on to Dutch giants Ajax.
Eriksen previously spent six-and-a-half years with Tottenham, making 305 appearances for the north London side and scoring 69 goals.
Brentford sit eight points above the Premier League drop zone at present in their first season back in the big time, and will return to action on Saturday when facing Everton in the FA Cup fourth round before a testing trip to Manchester City.
Eriksen is unlikely to figure in either of those contests as, despite receiving a Covid-19 vaccination, in order to comply with rules regarding entry to the UK, he will not arrive in west London for a few more days and play no part in training this week.
– goal.com