Eriksen returns to Danish squad after cardiac arrest

Christian Eriksen will return to the Danish squad later this month for the first time since suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch during Euro 2020 last June, Denmark’s football association said Tuesday.

The 30-year-old, who has been fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, has been selected to play in Denmark’s friendlies against the Netherlands on March 26 in Amsterdam and against Serbia on March 29 in Copenhagen, the association said.

Eriksen made his club comeback this month for English Premier League side Brentford.

The Dane suffered a cardiac arrest in Denmark’s opening game of the European Championships against Finland in Copenhagen on June 12.

He had to be resuscitated on the pitch, lying unconscious for several minutes as the stunned crowd and millions of television viewers around the world watched on in horror.

Eriksen spent several days in hospital and had the pacemaker implanted to regulate his heartbeat.

“He’s in good shape. I’ve followed him closely. I was recently in London to see him and evaluate him. I saw him in practice and during a match and physically he’s very, very sharp”, Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand told reporters.

“There are always things that can be improved, that’s normal, but he’s playing at a very high level”, he added.

Eriksen terminated his contract with Inter Milan by mutual consent in December as Italian league rules bar players with pacemakers, contrary to the Premier League.

Throughout his career, he has played 109 caps and scored 36 goals for the Danish squad, which has qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.