Christian Eriksen returns to youth club's grounds in Denmark to train after cardiac arrest
Christian Eriksen is back in training sessions again six months after collapsing on the pitch while with the Denmark national team during Euro 2020.
The Inter Milan midfielder is training at the grounds of Odense Boldklub (OB), his former youth club in Denmark, a spokesperson for the club told Reuters on Wednesday.
“Eriksen reached out to us, and he is now training by himself,” a spokesperson said, via Reuters. “It’s natural for him since he played here in his youth and lives around the corner. We are very happy to be able to provide training facilities for him."
Eriksen, 29, has not played since suffering a cardiac arrest at the June 12 match against Finland. He received life-saving treatment on the pitch and was immediately taken to the hospital where he received a heart starter, known as an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, before being released six days later.
The spokesperson for OB told Reuters they were unsure when Eriksen began training or how long he planned to stay. The midfielder played for OB before joining Ajax in 2008. He spent time with Tottenham Hotspur beginning in 2013, playing in the 2019 Champions League final with them, and had signed with Inter Milan last year.
Eriksen unable to return to Inter Milan
The Italian medical authority suspended Eriksen from playing in Serie A based on its rule prohibiting the use of a heart-starter, Inter Milan announced in October. But the ruling does not prevent Eriksen from playing elsewhere in another country.
“Although the current conditions of the player don’t meet the requirements of achieving sporting fitness in Italy, the same could instead be achieved in other countries where the player could resume competitive activity,” Inter Milan said in a statement.
Eriksen visited the club in August for the first time after his collapse. They said he was doing well and in "excellent physical and mental shape." At the time he was following a recovery program by Danish doctors and the club was kept up to date. ESPN reported then he was not expected back on the soccer pitch for at least six months while undergoing further tests in Italy to find the cause for the cardiac arrest.
