Christian Eriksen stable after Denmark friendly collapse in Odense

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AFP) — Christian Eriksen is recovering well after being taken to hospital following his collapse in Denmark's friendly against Ukraine, according to national team doctor Morten Boesen.

The incident came five years after the Denmark midfielder suffered a cardiac arrest at the European Championship. Eriksen, 34, formerly of Manchester United, has played with a pacemaker-type device since that 2021 collapse.

He went down in the 64th minute of Sunday's match in Odense. Medical personnel quickly entered the field, while players from Denmark and Ukraine formed a screen around him to keep television and phone cameras away from the scene.

The referee abandoned the fixture. Eriksen later left the pitch on foot, still protected from view by players from both teams, before he was transported to hospital.

Boesen said Eriksen had been "briefly unconscious" but added that "the pacemaker responded as it should".

By early Monday, the doctor was able to give a more reassuring assessment of the player's condition.

"I spoke to Christian this morning, and he is doing well," Boesen said in remarks shared on Instagram. "He is with his family and in good spirits.

"The expectation is that he will be discharged soon and can return home."

Boesen also said the medical staff had maintained close contact with Denmark's squad after the episode.

"We are taking good care of the players and staff and are in regular contact with them."

Eriksen has used the implanted device since collapsing during Denmark's group-stage match against Finland at Euro 2020, a tournament staged in 2021. That medical emergency kept him out of football for more than half a year.

Denmark captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg commended the immediate response to his teammate's collapse.

"There was a throw-in and I walked calmly to the touchline. Then I turned around and I saw Christian collapse," Hojbjerg told Danish broadcaster TV2. "We know very well what that means and the reaction was extremely rapid and respectful."

Denmark coach Brian Riemer, who previously worked with Eriksen at Brentford in the Premier League, described the moment as "an extremely shocking experience for everyone, the staff, the players and the opponents".

He said, "He's someone who counts a lot for me. You're closer to certain players than others, and he was one of the ones I got close to at Brentford."

Eriksen returned to professional football with Brentford seven months after the Euro 2020 incident. Before that comeback, he had to leave Inter Milan because Italian regulations do not permit players with pacemakers to compete.

He later moved to Manchester United, where he collected FA Cup and League Cup medals. Eriksen is now with German club Wolfsburg and has one year remaining on his contract.

His Denmark career also resumed after the 2021 collapse. He represented the national team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and at Euro 2024 in Germany.

Denmark will not be at the World Cup in North America, which begins next week, after failing to qualify.

Former Denmark forward Nicklas Bendtner said the latest episode was "really awful", though he took comfort from seeing Eriksen alert enough to walk away.

"The main thing is that he was able to walk off by himself, because that makes you think he's doing OK given the circumstances," Bendtner told TV2. "But these are terrible images that outweigh the rest of the evening.

"It's the second time it's happened and as a friend of Christian's, it's really awful."