The Dane signs for Manchester United 13 months after he considered his retirement due to his health problem at the European Championship
Christian Eriksen is back in elite football. The Danish player, who went into cardiac arrest 13 months ago during the last European Championship, is now a new Manchester United player. After a season in which he returned to the field at the hands of Brentford in the Premier League, the Red Devils and Erik ten Hag’s new project have bet on him, offering him a contract until June 30, 2024, an express return to the top from which he abruptly departed at the foot of the field.
Just thirteen months ago, on June 12, 2021, world football held its breath. Christian Eriksen, a shining star for Inter Milan and the Danish national team, lay unconscious on the ground after a cardiac arrest. His teammates surrounded him to avoid seeing the player’s status and it seemed like the end of a lightning career. “I’m on my back when I wake up and I feel the doctors pressuring me. I was having trouble breathing and then I heard faint voices and doctors talking,” he assured months later, recalling the moments when he was torn between life and death “I was dead for five minutes,” said the player himself.
The event caught Eriksen in one of the best moments of his sports career. His bid for Inter went perfectly, he won Serie A and was a true leader for the Danish team when his heart stopped. The incident was a pause for him. The former Ajax or Tottenham player, among others, terminated his contract with the Italian club and embarked on a marathon of medical tests ravaged by uncertainty that had a clear goal of returning. “I told my wife I was going to retire, but don’t be surprised if I change my mind,” said Eriksen, who took steps for a recovery, including precautions. I would go back, but then I would have to make do with a defibrillator that is not accepted by the Italian Football Association. The alternative would be a championship I already knew, the Premier League.
Seven months after the cardiac arrest, Brentford Football Club knocked on his door and offered him the chance to return to the field on a one-year contract. A test for the Dane and a bargain for ‘The Bees’. “We’ve taken an incredible opportunity to bring in a world-class player. You’ve done a lot yourself. He’s fit and I’m looking forward to seeing him work with the players and staff to get back to his highest level said Phil Giles, the football director of the London club. He was right, Eriksen was fit and he would prove it in six months where he would become the compass of Thomas Frank’s team who were comfortably saved from relegation, with an 11-point lead and a 22-point run out of a possible 33 when the Dane was on the field. Eriksen led the way, contributing a goal and four assists in 11 games, a background that confirmed his return to the elite.
Eriksen’s performance did not go unnoticed. Brentford wanted to extend his six-month contract but discovered that several clubs had already knocked on the player’s door. One of these was Manchester United, which starts a process of reconstruction at the hands of Ten Hag. The Dutch coach pushed for the arrival of a midfielder who could be key in his game system following Paul Pogba’s midfield departure. Eriksen, 30, signs with the Red Devils until 2024 and says goodbye to the most difficult episode of his career. He is back in one of the most important teams in European football.
Source: La Verdad
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