Christian Eriksen unveiled at Brentford, says he is determined to prove he is still the same player

Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen said he is determined to show that he is the same player as before he suffered a heart failure on the pitch last year, as he nears a return to action with Premier League side Brentford.

Eriksen was presented as a Brentford player on Friday, almost eight months to the day since he collapsed on the received life-saving treatment during Denmark’s Euro 2020 clash with Finland.

“Of course I have not forgotten how to play football and my body is still the same and my vision and my ability will still be the same,” he told a news conference on Friday. “That has not changed.

“I want to show that I am still the same player as before. My ICD is here for my protection. It is in because, if anything would happen to me, there is no need for a defibrillator because I will have my own. It is really just extra security.

“And that is how I feel. I feel very protected with it. I feel normal. I don’t feel it in any annoying way. Only going through the airport, I have to go around instead of going through a scanner.”

Eriksen isn’t just eager to return to club football.

“My aim is I want to be fit for the World Cup (in December),” Eriksen added. “It is about building up in training and getting some minutes on the pitch under my belt.

“There are a lot of months to go until the World Cup starts, and I will be doing everything I can to make sure I am there.”