Newcastle United news: Medical expert issues Christian Eriksen claim ahead of showdown
Christian Eriksen may make his Brentford debut against Newcastle United on Saturday (26 February) – but his first start could still be weeks away.
That is the view of injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis.
Eriksen has not played competitively in seven months since he suffered a cardiac arrest at last summer’s European Championship.
He signed for Brentford in January and has since played two friendly matches against Southend United and Rangers.
As quoted by talkSPORT on Tuesday (22 February), Thomas Frank revealed the Bees are “aiming for Newcastle” to hand the Dane his debut.
But Dinnery predicts that it will be a while longer before the 30-year-old playmaker is ready to start a match.
“There are several factors to consider,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“Ideally, you don’t want to throw Christian Eriksen in at the deep end. He has had 60 minutes against Southend and also against Rangers.
“He’s seen no competitive football in seven months and he’s only had a few weeks of training.
“He’s got a good base level of fitness and the foundational stuff is there, but he hasn’t got that competitive load in his legs.
“They can ill-afford to rush him back too early only for him to suffer a muscle problem. But things can muddy the waters on the way.
“If Brentford are hit with injuries or suspensions, for example, their tight-knit squad could become stretched. He may be needed in that case.
“Brentford at one stage looked assured of retaining their top-flight status. But that’s by no means certain anymore.
“We know the quality that Eriksen possess. They’re going to need him for this run-in, so they don’t want to risk another setback.
“I think we’re looking at several weeks, maybe early to mid-March, in terms of his first start.”
Brentford are currently 14th in the league, seven points above the relegation zone.
But every team below Frank’s side have games in hand.
In other news, Kevin Campbell fumes over Premier League’s Arsenal “agenda” after Brentford controversy analysed.