Christian Eriksen has insisted that his goalscoring performance against the Netherlands was "just a warm-up" for his emotional return to Copenhagen with the Denmark national team.
Eriksen came off the bench to a standing ovation in Denmark's friendly clash with the Netherlands on Saturday as he made his first appearance at international level since suffering his cardiac arrest on the pitch at Euro 2020.
The 30-year-old sparked wild scenes of celebration by scoring shortly after his introduction but Denmark went on to lose 4-2, and he is already looking ahead to their next fixture against Serbia.
What's been said?
Eriksen stopped breathing after collapsing during Denmark's first group-stage game of the European Championship against Finland at the Parken Stadium last June and, after being revived and taken to hospital for tests, he was fitted with an implanted cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD).
The midfielder, who joined Brentford on a free transfer in January after leaving Inter, is now set to play at the same venue again in Denmark's latest friendly, which he says will hold greater significance than his run-out against the Netherlands.
"That will be even more special," Eriksen told Danish TV station Kanal 5. "[Saturday's goal] was just a warm-up for Tuesday when I'll be running in exactly the place where it happened."
Hjulmand's reaction to Eriksen's return
Eriksen could be in line to start against Serbia after his performance at Johan Cruyff ArenA over the weekend, with Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand in awe of the progress he has made over the last few months.
"I didn't expect that he could be so good so quickly," Hjulmand told reporters after the Netherlands game.
"He was running without any difficulty and he brought rhythm to the game. He was very calm. I really appreciate seeing him play."
After Denmark's latest international outing, Eriksen will return to Brentford ahead of their next Premier League game against Chelsea on April 2.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)