Eriksen at home and 'doing well' after collapse

Christian Eriksen says he is "doing well" and is at home with his family following his collapse in Sunday's game against Ukraine.

>The 34-year-old spent the night in hospital following the incident, and wrote in a statement on Instagram, external that his "recovery has already started".

>The game in Odense was stopped on 65 minutes when he collapsed and was abandoned shortly after, with Eriksen able to walk from the field after regaining consciousness.

>The former Manchester United, Tottenham and Brentford midfielder was fitted with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) - a type of pacemaker - after suffering a cardiac arrest during a Euro 2020 match against Finland in 2021.

>"As you can probably imagine, receiving a shock from my ICD has had a major effect on both me and my family, but I want to assure everyone that this was a different situation from what happened in 2021," wrote Eriksen.

>"In addition to being grateful for the support and assistance of all the players and the medical team on the field, I am also incredibly grateful to the doctors who have cared for me and my heart over the years.

>"Thanks to their expertise, my ICD did exactly what it was designed to do: protect me when I needed it.

>The ICD allowed Eriksen to resume his playing career with Brentford in 2022 - eight months after his collapse at the Euros - before he spent three years with Manchester United.

>On Sunday, Denmark national team doctor Morten Boesen said "the pacemaker responded as it should".

>"For now, my focus is on recovering, spending time with my family, going on vacation, and playing football with my children," Eriksen added.

>Speaking to BBC Sport before his comeback in 2022, Eriksen - who now plays for Wolfsburg - said he had no concerns about playing with an ICD.

>"I don't see any risk, no. I have an ICD, if anything would happen then I am safe," he added.

>Neither Denmark nor Ukraine qualified for the World Cup, which begins on Thursday.

>Both sets of players formed a ring around Eriksen while he was receiving treatment on the pitch

>The Denmark players were visibly upset following the collapse

>The Denmark and Ukraine players applauded fans after Eriksen left in an ambulance and the match was abandoned

>Both sets of players also formed a huddle after the game was abandoned

>Following his collapse at Euro 2020, Eriksen's Inter Milan contract was cancelled by mutual consent because players fitted with an ICD cannot compete in Serie A.

>The Premier League and Bundesliga do not have the same regulations.

>An ICD is a device about half the size of a mobile phone with thin wires leading to the area around the heart.

>One is fitted under the skin, usually near the armpit, and acts like a mini defibrillator.

>"It works 24 hours a day and is constantly monitoring the heart rhythm," Aneil Malhotra, a professor in sports cardiology at Manchester Metropolitan University, told BBC Radio 5 Live.

>"If the heart develops a dangerous rhythm that could lead to a sudden cardiac arrest, then the device can rapidly detect it and deliver treatment.

>"That includes a shock, if necessary, to restore a normal rhythm. It takes out the human factor, as we saw at the Euros, where CPR had to be delivered externally.

>"An ICD is already in the patient and saves crucial time."

>The other main type of ICD is usually fitted in the space just below the collarbone and, like a pacemaker, can also send a regular electrical signal if it detects the heart is beating too slowly.

>Eriksen's first collapse came nine years after Fabrice Muamba's near-fatal injury at Tottenham and 19 years after Marc-Vivien Foe tragically lost his life in Lyon.

>Luton Town's Premier League match at Bournemouth was abandoned after their captain Tom Lockyer collapsed on the pitch in 2023.

>Former Bolton midfielder Muamba retired aged 24 on the advice of his doctors, but others have continued to play with an ICD - including former Manchester United midfielder Daley Blind, who returned to play for Ajax and the Netherlands after being diagnosed with a heart condition in 2019.

>Two years on from suffering his cardiac arrest, Lockyer returned to football with Bristol Rovers.

>Eriksen speaking to BBC Sport in 2022 after joining Brentford