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Christian Eriksen moved to reassure fans that he would not even consider returning to football if there was “some anxiety” over his heart problems as he looks to make his much-anticipated Brentford debut.
Eriksen has yet to take the field since he suffered a cardiac arrest during Denmark’s European Championship match against Finland last June.
After having an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) fitted, Eriksen was unable to continue his career in Italy with Inter Milan and eventually made a surprise return to the Premier League by signing for Brentford on 31 January.
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Christian Eriksen assures fans he wouldn’t return to football if there was ‘some anxiety’
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But while there have been concerns about the player’s health following such a traumatic and horrific incident, Eriksen has understood that he would not put his health at risk if there were and that he trusts the advice that doctors and medical professionals have given him. green light to return to top-level football.
Eriksen told reporters on Friday: “If there was any anxiety, I wouldn’t go back. I trust doctors, I trust my heart, I trust my ICD.
“From the start of this, I felt like I needed to show that you can play with an ICD. That if something like this happens, you can go back to normal life afterwards.’
And while Eriksen looks to return to the Premier League with a vengeance, the Dane has revealed he is aiming to play at the World Cup in Qatar this winter.
“One of the first things I told my cardiologist is that if everything goes well, I want to play in the World Cup,” added Eriksen.
Eriksen will wear shirt 21 for Brentford after joining the Bees in the January window
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Brentford welcome Crystal Palace to the Brentford Community Stadium on Saturday, but it is not yet clear if Eriksen will feature.
Bees boss Thomas Frank insists the midfielder is ‘bubbling’ and training well, but would not be drawn to setting a date for his debut.
“I think he’s fine, he’s training well and he looks like the quality player we know him to be,” the Bees boss said ahead of Saturday’s clash with Palace.
“It’s a pleasure to watch him play football, it’s so natural to him so it’s great to see him, but tomorrow he won’t be available for the team.” That would always be too soon after only a week.
Eriksen went into cardiac arrest during Denmark’s Euro 2020 match against Finland last June.
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The Danish playmaker is shown here training with his new team earlier this month.
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“We will have a friendly match on Monday in which he will play minutes and that is the correct way to do it.”
The arrival of the former Tottenham midfielder has coincided with a poor run for the Bees, who have lost their last six games in all competitions and conceded 18 goals in the process before Palace’s visit.
Eriksen will be with Brentford for the rest of the season after meeting Frank, who was his coach at Denmark youth level, and the Bees manager believes he is in good spirits.
I must say it is bubbly. We’re going to have him seven months after the incident, so he’s really missed being part of the group, being part of a club and hopefully we can add new chapters to the Brentford story,’ said Frank.
Bees boss Thomas Frank (pictured) insists the midfielder is ‘bubbling’ and training well
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He loves being with the boys, being on the grass, playing soccer.
“He’s one of those that needs to touch a ball all the time, so when the drill is over, I start talking and as soon as we start again, he just needs to touch a ball or something.”
“He’s just enjoying it, he’s bubbly and he just wants to play football.”
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