Christian Eriksen played an hour in Brentford’s behind-closed-doors friendly against Southend on Monday as he steps up plans to make his Bees debut.
The midfielder was part of a Bees XI who played the Shrimpers in what was the first of at least two warm-up matches for the Denmark international.
Saturday’s clash away at Arsenal may come too soon for Eriksen to make his sensational return to football following last year’s cardiac arrest, although some involvement at the Emirates has not yet been ruled out.
However, the following home game against Newcastle looks increasingly realistic as the occasion for Eriksen to make his comeback, so a second behind-closed-doors game is being considered in the build-up to that fixture next week.
Eriksen told Sky Sports News on Friday his debut “won’t be far off” after a positive first week of training with his new team-mates, having signed a six-month contract in January.
The 29-year-old has been increasing the intensity of his training each day and been involved in tactical work despite not being part of the games against Manchester City and Crystal Palace.
In an exclusive, wide-ranging interview, Eriksen insisted his heart will be the safest on the pitch when he finally returns, because he has an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) fitted, which responds to life-threatening rhythms and can shock to reset the heart-rate and prevent sudden cardiac arrest.
He said: “I’m taking it one day at a time and seeing how I feel. Every day it gets easier and easier to join in with the level of intensity, running-wise and technical-wise.
“[My debut] it won’t be far off. Let’s see what happens.
“With this [device], you are more safe than anyone else. It was pretty early in the hospital I was told that, with an ICD there are no limits.
“My first target is to get back to full fitness, be able to play a Premier League game, and play as many minutes as possible to show and prove I can still play football in a good way. Then I want to help Brentford stay in the league.”
bet365 sport. To add to the In-Play excitement, bet365 stream over hundreds of events live to your PC every year. So you can bet as the action unfolds. See all upcoming sport events you can bet at bet experts. Highlights include Masters Series Tennis tournaments and matches from some of the top domestic Soccer leagues in the world. To use the Live Streaming service you need to be log in and have a funded account. Or to have place a bet in the last 24 hours. Any fixture/event on bet365 website and bet365 mobile which has the Play or Video icon is schedule to be show via Live Streaming. bet bg
Make your bet365 registration. Enjoy a unique experience with bet365 and bet365 mobile!
Our forecasts for upcoming meetings have been carefully examine and provide in good faith, but with no guaranteed earnings. We advise you to gamble responsibly and only with the money you can afford to lose.
✅ Registration at bet365 | Account verification | Deposit money | Sports Betting | How to bet | Live Betting | Watch Live Stream | Offers, Bonuses and Promotions| Casino | Poker
18+ | Gamble Responsibly | BeGambleAware.org
BET EXPERTS