Antonio Conte has sent a classy message to Christian Eriksen ahead of Tottenham 's trip to Brentford on Saturday.
The former Tottenham star signed for Brentford on Deadline Day in January after having his contract terminated by Inter Milan following the cardiac arrest he suffered while playing for Denmark during Euro 2020. Eriksen was fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator device following his collapse, which is permitted in the Italian division.
Although his collapse in the summer was one of the most darkest days in football, he has since lit up the Premier League and has been in exceptional form for club and country. And ahead of his reunion with Tottenham and also his former Inter Milan boss, Conte has sent the Danish international a classy message.
Saturday's clash is a must-win game for Tottenham after Arsenal stunned Chelsea to win 4-2 at Stamford Bridge, but they will be boosted by the fact that Eriksen has helped Brentford move comfortably away from the relegation zone. But despite the importance of the game, Conte was eager to speak about Eriksen in his pre-match press conference as he sent a classy message to his former star.
Conte said: "I’m very happy to see him play football again. In June it was terrible, those images were terrible for everybody. We suffered a lot for him and his family.
"To see him for a game will be a pleasure for me. It’s incredible because not long ago happened what happened. To see him playing again makes me very happy because I know football is life. To have this opportunity is great for him and his family because now they come back to have a normal life."
HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Christian Eriksen stay at Brentford this summer? Comment below
Many feared that Eriksen would never play again after the tragedy in the summer, and the midfielder was lucky to be alive as doctors battled to bring him back. But his return has been one of the great footballing stories, and he's come back firing too.
The midfielder has oozed class in the Brentford team and it's by no coincidence that their form has drastically improved since he arrived in January. Eriksen has one goal and two assists in six appearances, but Brentford have won five of those, and the only loss came when he didn't start.
Therefore even though they may have the luxury of being safe from relegation this season, Tottenham certainly have a difficult game on their hands with top four up for grabs. After Arsenal beat Chelsea, they moved back level on points with Tottenham, and Conte knows that his side cannot afford to slip with just six games remaining.
Conte urged his side to remain focused on the job in hand, as he said: "I think in this race, the team that's able to make less mistakes from now until the end can have the possibility to play in the Champions League next season." And the Spurs boss credited Brentford, by admitting that it will be a difficult game.
"For sure, we have to pay great attention because we're talking about a team that is showing they deserve to play in the Premier League," Conte added. "They're playing very well, they've beaten important teams. It won't be easy for us. They're strong physically, they play good football and they are very dangerous from set pieces.
"Another situation, now that we're in this position, we're fourth, and this type of game you want to beat a team that is in a good position. For this reason I expect a tough game, a tricky game. We have to pay great attention. Every game is very important for us. Especially because we want to stay until the end in this race to fight for a place in the Champions League."
