Christian Eriksen has new team after suffering cardiac arrest at Euro 2020

(CNN) — Christian Eriksen was signed by English Premier League club Brentford and the 29-year-old Dane is attempting to resume his footballing career after suffering cardiac arrest at Euro 2020 last June.

The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder joins Brentford on a contract until the end of the current season having not played since collapsing during Denmark’s game against Finland in Copenhagen last year.

The 29-year-old received life-saving treatment on the pitch and was subsequently fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), a type of pacemaker intended to prevent fatal cardiac arrest by shocking to restore regular heart rhythm.

Serie A club Inter Milan, with whom Eriksen was under contract at the time of the incident, announced in December that it would allow him to move abroad to continue his football career, as the midfielder cannot play in Italy unless have the ICD removed.

At the end of the year, Eriksen was training with his former club, Denmark’s Odense Boldklub, and said in January that his heart was “not an obstacle” to his ambitions to return to football and take part in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. .

Now he will have the opportunity to work towards that dream with his former Denmark Under-17 team manager and current Brentford manager, Thomas Frank.

“I’m really looking forward to working with Christian again,” Frank said. “We’ve seized an incredible opportunity to bring a world-class player to Brentford. He hasn’t trained with a team for seven months, but he’s done a lot of work on his own.

“He’s fit but we’ll need to get him fit for a game and I’m looking forward to seeing him work with the players and staff to get back to his highest level.”

Denmark players look dejected as teammate Christian Eriksen (hidden) receives medical treatment during their Euro 2020 match against Finland.

“We have carried out significant due diligence”

Having joined from Ajax in 2013, Eriksen dazzled at Tottenham during his first spell in England, scoring 51 goals and 62 assists in 226 appearances.

Following his move to Inter in 2020 he garnered a first Serie A title for the Milan club in 11 years, ending Juventus’ nine-year dominance, while in his international career the five-time Danish footballer of the year scored 36 goals in 109 games.

He joins a Brentford side that impressed in their first season in the Premier League. The West London side sit in 14th place and eight points above the relegation zone.

Brentford’s next Premier League game will see them face reigning champions and current leaders Manchester City on February 9, with the possibility of Eriksen facing his former club on April 23 when Brentford host Spurs.

Brentford director of football Phil Giles has admitted Eriksen’s transfer process was “longer than most” signings, given what happened to the Dane at Euro 2020.

Eriksen with his Inter teammates and staff members at Appiano Gentile in August 2021.

“I understand that a lot of people will have questions about the process,” Giles said.

“In order to respect Christian’s medical confidentiality, we will not go into details. Brentford fans can be assured that we have taken significant due diligence to ensure that Christian is in the best possible shape to return to competitive football.

“Now that Christian has made the decision to sign for Brentford, all parties want to focus squarely on football.

“We are confident that Christian will have a huge impact at Brentford and in the Premier League between now and the end of the season.”