Euros heart scare fails to deter Eriksen from joining Brentford

Gdansk — Former Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba said he was worried by the prospect of Christian Eriksen signing for English club Brentford after the Denmark international’s cardiac arrest on the pitch at 2021’s European Championship.

Eriksen, who has not played since collapsing during Denmark’s opening game of Euro 2020 against Finland in June, has been offered a short-term deal by Brentford, according to British media reports.

The 29-year-old midfielder said earlier in January that he intended to return to football to play for Denmark at the World Cup in Qatar, but his future is still up in the air.

Eriksen’s former club Inter Milan terminated his contract in December because the heart starter device he had implanted after his cardiac arrest is not permitted in Italy’s Serie A.

“Like everyone else, I am excited for Christian Eriksen that he could be returning to the Premier League ... but I am sure you can understand why I am anxious too,” Muamba wrote in The Times on Tuesday.

Muamba himself was forced to retire at the age of 24 after collapsing on the pitch in an FA Cup match in 2012 and was technically “dead” for 78 minutes. “As someone who has suffered heart failure on the football pitch ... I find myself struggling to think I could go to watch Christian play,” he said.

“The medical help that Christian received so quickly and effectively, conscious as he left the stadium after his cardiac arrest, is perhaps one reason why he can hope to resume his career.

“Daley Blind plays with a pacemaker, so it can be done at the highest level. But it’s not just physical condition but the psychological aspect and the feelings of family because it can be toughest for them.”

Reuters