Brentford midfielder Christian Eriksen steps up recovery with friendly assists

Christian Eriksen has stepped up his bid to return to frontline football after another impressive friendly run-out for Brentford.

The 30-year-old Denmark international, who suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch during his country’s Euro 2020 group match against Finland in June, played 78 minutes of a behind-closed-doors clash with a Rangers XI on Monday and provided both assists in a 2-2 draw.

Eriksen crossed for Zanka to head the Bees into an early lead and, after Amad Diallo's double had given the home side a 2-1 lead, he sent in the free-kick from which Tristan Crama levelled.

The former Tottenham playmaker joined the Bees until the end of the season in January after leaving Inter Milan by mutual consent.

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The rules in Italy would not allow him to play after having an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) device fitted.

He returned to action on Monday last week in another training-ground friendly for the Bees, a 3-2 win over Southend during which he set up Josh Dasilva for the first goal of his hat-trick.

Eriksen will now hope he has done enough to earn himself a place in the senior squad against Newcastle at the Brentford Community Stadium on Saturday.

Thomas Frank’s promoted side have taken just a single point from their last seven Premier League games to slip to within six points of the drop zone.

For Eriksen, however, simply being back on the pitch in a senior fixture would represent a huge step.

Eriksen revealed last month he had “died for five minutes” after collapsing during the Finland game.

He was treated on the pitch as his shocked team-mates formed a barrier around him with worried spectators and millions more watching on television looking on before being taken to hospital, where the ICD, which regulates his heartbeat, was implanted.