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.

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.

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.