Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers says he will never forget the sense of shock he felt when Christian Eriksen collapsed last summer and has emphasised how good it is to see the Denmark midfielder back in action.
Seven months on from suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch during a Euro 2020 match, Eriksen made a Premier League return in January by joining Brentford on a free transfer.
The 30-year-old has gone on to feature in the Bees’ last three matches, playing the full duration of wins against Norwich and Burnley and providing an assist in the latter.
Leicester host Brentford on Sunday and Rodgers told Premier League Productions regarding Eriksen, who was recalled to Denmark’s squad earlier this week: “I think there’s just a real positive feeling that he’s back on the field again.
“I’ll never forget how I felt watching it. I was on holiday in Mallorca at the time. I just was in shock watching it, watching the scenes, like probably everyone was, and then you are just praying and hoping the outcome can be a positive one.
“I think seeing him back on the field again really typifies and is a great example of his strength and determination to come back and fight.
“There is absolutely no doubting his talent – I faced him enough times when he was at Tottenham to see the talent and the effect he can have on a game.
“There’s nothing other than a real good feeling that Christian is back playing again.
“He is a big, big player. We saw that in the Premier League and when he went to Italy (with Inter Milan), and this unfortunate incident he’s had has obviously curtailed that a little bit, but the clips I’ve seen of him from being at Brentford, he just has quality, and it will be great to see him at the weekend.”
Thomas Frank’s Brentford, who were promoted via the Sky Bet Championship play-offs last term, are currently 15th in the Premier League with 30 points from 29 games.
Rodgers said: “They’ve done great, Thomas, his staff and players. I’ve really enjoyed watching them.
“I’ve been on that journey myself with Swansea into the Premier League. It started off great and then what always will happen when you’re in it for that first season is you’re going to have a dip.
“They went through a period where they weren’t winning, they were losing games. But they stayed strong and together. The results against Norwich and Burnley will have reinvigorated them again and given them confidence. It’s a team that’s fighting and we have to be ready for that.”
Leicester are three points and three places better off in the table. They head into the contest having followed a four-game winning streak in all competitions with back-to-back defeats at Arsenal and Rennes, although the latter 2-1 loss saw them go through 3-2 on aggregate to the Europa Conference League quarter-finals.
Rodgers, whose side achieved fifth-placed finishes for the last two seasons and won the FA Cup last term, said: “It’s been a really challenging season. We seem to get players back and then we lose some, and that’s just the nature of how it’s been for us.
“But the players who have been available, they kept fighting. We’ve had some very good results and performances, and some not so good, but progress does come in fits and starts, it’s not all in a straight line.”
