Christian Eriksen says he has been "surprised" by the progress his body is making as he nears his long-awaited Premier League return with Brentford.
Eriksen has not played a competitive match since his cardiac arrest episode at Euro 2020 with Denmark, which left him being fitted with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) in order to resume his career.
Inter were forced to release the midfielder in December due to Serie A rules prohibiting players from playing with an ICD, but no such restrictions exist in the Premier League and Brentford signed him on a free transfer in the winter window.
What's been said?
Eriksen has been gradually building up his fitness behind the scenes since joining the Bees, and has featured in two behind-closed-doors friendlies against Southend and Rangers over the past 10 days.
The 30-year-old took in 80 minutes of action and set up two goals as Brentford played out a 2-2 draw with the Gers on Monday, and has been pleasantly surprised by how well he is holding up physically.
Next Match
“I feel very good. It was a tough test in the last week or so but I’m happy to be out there," Eriksen has told the club's official media channels.
“I feel like I’m in a good place, mentally going into the games and body wise which is the most important at the moment.
“I’m actually a bit surprised that my body is acting the way it is because of course I’ve been training hard but I didn’t expect be as good as I feel now. It’s definitely something very positive.”
When could Eriksen make his Brentford debut?
Eriksen was presented to Brentford supporters before their 0-0 draw at home to Crystal Palace at the weekend, but has not yet been named in one of Thomas Frank's matchday squads.
That could change when the Bees play host to Newcastle on Saturday, with another crucial relegation six-pointer away at Norwich scheduled seven days later.
“I feel the same excitement, the same love for touching the ball and being involved and playing football in general," Eriksen said of his experience with the west London club so far.
"It’s what I’ve been waiting for for a lot of months and being out there with a team is something very pleasing and very comforting.”
Pressed on whether he is in line to feature against Newcastle, the Denmark international added: “Let’s see how my body reacts in the next few days and let’s see what happens.”