Christian Eriksen has opened up on his relationship with Thomas Frank amid their new Tottenham connection.
Tottenham Hotspur have had several top players don the Lilywhite shirt in the past decade, and Christian Eriksen is one such star.
The Dane, who joined Tottenham in 2013, was part of one of Spurs’ most exciting teams, which had the likes of Harry Kane, Heung-min Son, Dele Alli and Mousa Dembele.
Eriksen was not a passenger in that side, as he contributed significantly to Spurs’ attacking play, thanks to his vision and excellent ball striking. The Danish midfielder scored 69 goals and assisted at least 80 more.
Christian Eriksen reflects on Thomas Frank’s influence at Brentford
He did, however, move on from Tottenham to Inter Milan, before returning to the Premier League to play for Brentford under current Spurs boss Thomas Frank.
The 33-year-old was handed an opportunity to return to football following his traumatising ordeal of his on-field cardiac arrest at the European Championships.
Returning now to Tottenham, as part of a feature in the club’s Official Matchday Programme ahead of their Champions League tie with Danish outfit Copenhagen, Christian caught up to chat all things Spurs – including Head Coach Thomas, who holds a special place in the former number 23’s heart.
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Reflecting on that period of his career, Eriksen explained how much Frank’s faith meant to him during one of the toughest times of his life.
“I came from a setback to being able to show what I could do as a footballer. Thomas gave me that chance and I will always be very thankful to him,” Christian smiled as he reflected on his time under Thomas at Brentford where he played 11 times.
“He knows how grateful I am for giving me that opportunity to come back and play again.
“It was a special time. Brentford are a special club and they had a great group of players there in my time.
“I am so happy to see Thomas continuing to do well at Spurs. First and foremost, Thomas is a good manager. As a person, he really is a great human being. He is great at getting the best out of people and he is a very good tactician.”
Thomas Frank’s Tottenham project and what comes next
Of course, there is no doubt that Frank, who also managed Eriksen during his time with Denmark’s under-17 side, is a top manager.
His ability to put together a team capable of competing against the very best, even with limited resources, made him an ideal pick for Tottenham this summer.
However, while the Dane has Spurs in sixth place, the quality of football on show has been far from consistent and exciting, which was the hallmark of his Brentford side.
Many Tottenham fans will be hoping Frank can get his side playing at that level, as they clamour for more front-foot attacking football.