Patience is key as Christian Eriksen works toward Brentford debut – Thomas Frank

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank feels everyone must be patient as Christian Eriksen works towards a much-anticipated debut.

The Denmark international marked his 30th birthday with a return to action for the first time since suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch in June last year when he played an hour of a behind-closed-doors friendly against Southend on Monday afternoon.

Eriksen – who revealed last month he had “died for five minutes” after collapsing during Denmark’s Euro 2020 clash with Finland – joined the Bees until the end of the season as a free agent on transfer deadline day, having been training with former club Ajax.

The former Tottenham midfielder had left Inter Milan by mutual consent as the rules in Italy would not allow him to play after having an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) device fitted.

Frank knows just what an asset a fully-fit Eriksen can provide to his side, who head to Arsenal on Saturday, but will not take any risks over his long-term well-being.

“It is a delicate balance,” the Brentford boss said. “We want him out there, but just like every other player who has been out for seven or eight months, they need quite a few games in a row to get up to their normal level.

“To get up to that as quick as possible you need to build a foundation that is as high as possible, and that is what we are trying to aim for. One day, I need to put him on the pitch and then then we will take it from there.

“The good news is that he looks good in training, like he is still a pretty good footballer, with that unbelievable quality in his vision, passing range, finishing and deliveries.

“Now it is that extra sharpness and incisive actions that he needs to repeat more and more often – but it is going