Amorim had flagged Eriksen's heart condition months before Denmark collapse

Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch during the second half of Denmark’s friendly against Ukraine on Sunday, prompting the match to be abandoned, with the Danish FA confirming the 34-year-old was conscious and “doing well under the circumstances.”

The incident arrived almost five years after Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020, an event that led to him being fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). Denmark team doctor Morten Boesen said Eriksen walked off the field under his own power and that the device appeared to have functioned correctly. “He was briefly unconscious but regained consciousness very quickly,” Boesen said. “He will now undergo further tests at the hospital to determine what caused the incident. Christian is doing well, and he asked me to send his regards to all the players and tell them that he was okay.”

The episode has drawn attention to comments made by Rúben Amorim during his time as Manchester United manager. In February 2025, after Eriksen missed a defeat to Tottenham Hotspur through illness, Amorim was careful to contextualise the absence. “Of course, Chris has the heart situation and we have to be really careful with that,” Amorim said. “It’s nothing about the heart — I’m just saying the heart rate has to be controlled because he has a fever.”

Eriksen spent three years at Old Trafford after joining from Brentford in 2022, making 107 appearances and winning both the FA Cup and the League Cup. He left United when his contract expired in 2025 and signed for German club Wolfsburg, making 34 appearances at club level this season. Denmark had failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup before Sunday’s friendly was arranged.

Manchester United issued a statement following the incident: “Everybody at Manchester United is encouraged by Denmark’s update on Christian Eriksen following today’s abandoned friendly against Ukraine. The club is sending strength and love to Christian and the Eriksen family as we await further news.”

Denmark had been leading 2-1 at the time of the stoppage, with Patrick Dorgu and Joakim Maehle having scored for the hosts and Viktor Tsygankov replying for Ukraine before half-time.