The former Lilywhites winger believes family must come before football after the legendary playmaker suffered a shocking health scare playing for Denmark.
Football matches quickly lose all meaning when serious scares happen on the pitch, as the N17 faithful and the footballing world watched in absolute horror as news broke about Christian Eriksen on Sunday. The former Spurs midfielder suddenly went down clutching his chest, during an international friendly against Ukraine, causing massive panic. Medical personnel rushed out immediately, forcing the match to be abandoned.
Thankfully, the midfielder eventually walked away after regaining consciousness. This worrying scene happened nearly five years after his cardiac arrest against Finland at Euro 2020. An implantable cardioverter defibrillator was fitted back then to manage his condition. Since that day, he famously played for Brentford, Manchester United, and VfL Wolfsburg, while picking up over 40 more international caps.
Former Tottenham teammate Andros Townsend did not hide his deep concern on the talkSPORT Breakfast show. He strongly stated that the veteran midfielder needs to prioritize his health and walk away from the sport, highlighting that it should be family first for the Dane.
Andros Townsend drew parallels to Tom Lockyer scare while demanding priority on family for Christian Eriksen
“Of course, on the outside, yes, I’d advise him,” Townsend remarked during his radio appearance. “There are so many more important things to worry about, he’s got a lovely family to worry about.” He remembered his old Luton teammate Tom Lockyer going down identically. Townsend argued that while the working device means Eriksen is safe, stepping back is right.
Eriksen broke his silence on Monday afternoon by issuing a highly reassuring update. The former Tottenham man is already recovering at home alongside his family, and he also admitted that the sudden electronic shock had a massive impact, but clarified that it felt entirely different from 2021. His immediate goals are strictly focused on taking a vacation and playing with his children.
Reporter Ben Jacobs joined talkSPORT to outline what comes next for the maestro. The national team doctor confirmed the internal device worked exactly as intended. Cardiological experts will spend the next 24 to 72 hours running deep tests on his previous heart data to map out what triggered the incident. Safety must come first before football.