LONDON —
Christian Eriksen has completed a remarkable return to the Premier League, signing for
Brentford just seven months after suffering a cardiac arrest at last year's
European Championship.
اضافة اعلان
The Denmark international
left
Inter Milan in December by mutual consent as the implantable cardioverter
defibrillator, or ICD, he had fitted meant he was not allowed to play in
Italian football.
But the Premier League does
not have the same rule and
Brentford issued a statement on Monday confirming
they had signed the former Tottenham playmaker until the end of the season,
subject to international clearance.
Eriksen, 29, who has been
training with young players at another of his former clubs, Ajax, said he was
raring to go in a short video on Brentford's Twitter feed.
"Hi everyone, it's
Christian Eriksen," he said. "I'm happy to announce that I've signed
for Brentford Football Club and I can't wait to get started and hopefully I'll
see you all very soon."
Brentford manager Thomas
Frank, who worked with Eriksen while in charge of Denmark's Under-17s squad
early in his coaching career, welcomed his compatriot, saying it was an
"unbelievable opportunity" to bring a world-class player to the club.
"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," he said.
"At his best, Christian
has the ability to dictate games of football. He can find the right passes and
is a goal threat. ... I expect him to have an impact in the dressing room and
at the training ground."
Inter tweeted: "Good
luck for your new adventure, @ChrisEriksen8. We are happy to see you back out
on the pitch! Forever."
Spurs tweeted: "It's
good to see you back in the Premier League, @ChrisEriksen8".
Cardiac arrest
Eriksen suffered a cardiac
arrest in Denmark's opening game at
Euro 2020 against Finland in Copenhagen on
June 12 and had to be resuscitated on the pitch.
The midfielder, who spent
several days in the hospital and had the ICD heart-regulating device fitted,
has not played since.
Denmark rode a wave of
emotion at the delayed tournament, reaching the semi-finals, where they were
knocked out by England.
Brentford's director of
football, Phil Giles, said that although the club would not divulge any of
Eriksen's private medical information, "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."
Eriksen was a pivotal member
of
Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham side that finished as runners-up in the
Premier League in 2016/17 and reached the Champions League final in 2019.
The Dane joined Inter in
January 2020 and after initial problems settling into then-manager
Antonio Conte's system, was a driving force in their charge to a 19th league title last
year.
Eriksen told Danish media
earlier this month that his aim was to play in the World Cup later this year.
"My goal is to play in
the
World Cup in Qatar in November/December 2022," he said, adding:
"Whether I can get selected is something entirely different ... but ... I
can come back."
Brentford are 14th in the
Premier League after four consecutive defeats but are eight points above the
relegation zone.
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