Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte is ‘happy’ for Christian Eriksen now the midfielder has returned to playing at Brentford and is back in the Denmark squad, via football.london.
Kasper Hjulmand named Eriksen in his Rod-Hvide side on Tuesday for their friendlies with Holland and Serbia later this month. The playmaker has not represented his county since being fitted with a heart-starting device following his cardiac arrest at Euro 2020 last year.
The incident raised questions over Eriksen’s career and led to the 30-year-old agreeing to mutually terminate his Inter Milan contract. He then joined Brentford in a free transfer in January before making an emotional return to the pitch at home to Newcastle last month.
Fans and players from both sides rose to give Eriksen a standing ovation in his first game since facing Finland. He has since started for the Bees against Norwich and Burnley and played the full 90-minutes on both occasions, while winning a penalty against the Clarets.
Christian Eriksen’s Brentford, Denmark returns thrill Tottenham boss Antonio Conte
Conte spent one-and-a-half seasons with Eriksen at Inter Milan after signing the 109-cap star from Tottenham in January 2020. He made a total of 60 outings under the Italian on the back of leaving Spurs for £17m. The Dane also offered eight goals and three assists.
Now seeing Eriksen featuring for Brentford and return to Hjulmand’s squad has delighted Tottenham boss Conte. And the pair could reunite when Spurs visit the Bees on April 23.
“I’m happy for Christian,” Conte said. “To see him again on the pitch, to play from the start, to play two games in a row, to play well with Brentford, it was special for me.
“He is an important player, but also we’re talking about a great person. He and his family deserve to live now in a normal situation.”
Eriksen facing Conte’s Tottenham with Brentford next month would be another emotional step on the Denmark maestro’s continued return. He made 305 appearances for the north London outfit between 2013 and 2020, while scoring 69 and creating a further 90 goals.
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