A creative force, a talismanic presence and a fan favorite, Christian Eriksen was central to Tottenham Hotspur during his almost seven-year stay in north London.
At that time, the fantastic Dane played 305 appearances for Spurs, registered an incredible 159 goal contributions and won the club’s player of the year twice – no bad performance when you compete with Harry Kane.
Christian Eriksen was loved at Tottenham / LINDSEY PARNABY / Getty Images
When he went to Inter in January 2020, the task of filling the gap in the Spurs side would never be easy.
In the last year and a half, we have seen the likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso, Erik Lamela and even Lucas Moura take the role as number ten for Spurs, while Dele Alli barely got to see under Jose Mourinho.
However, none of the above has managed to inject the same impact that Eriksen gave for the Premier League club and something has clearly been missing.
The spatial awareness, vision, creative streak and movement that made it possible for the Dane to dictate games is rare and perhaps difficult to replace, but Tottenham finally have the perfect candidate to succeed Eriksen in the club – Mikkel Damsgaard.
The 21-year-old was one of Denmark’s brightest sparks at Euro 2020 and seamlessly accepted Eriksen’s talismanic role for the national side after Interman’s cardiac arrest on match day one. After a good debut season in Serie A with Sampdoria, much was expected of Damsgaard this summer and he did nothing but exceed everyone’s hopes.
The similarities with Eriksen are clear. He has the ability to constantly pick up space pockets and move defense, the vision to unlock a game with a pass, a progressive mind that does nothing but look for a forward-thinking and killer instinct to create and score goals. He was Kasper Hjulmand’s obvious choice to go in and pick up Eriksen’s workload – a scary task.
Damsgaard leads the celebration after his free kick put Denmark 1-0 against England / Justin Tallis – Pool / Getty Images
Simply having these qualities so obvious at a young age is one thing, but applying them so brilliantly in such a massive emotional and overwhelming situation on one of the world’s biggest football stages is much different.
Damsgaard was sensational throughout the tournament and carried his side as he progressed. He was the boss creator, the brilliant light that others looked like and the one who took responsibility for exciting and fantastically creative play – and at just 21 he could not have looked more comfortable doing so.
When he entered Euro 2020, Damsgaard had won only three international matches for Denmark. After his side’s semi-final result, he has eight and has become an important cog in his country’s admirable machine.
A fantastic goal against Russia in Denmark’s last group game, a smart assist against Wales in the round of 16 and a brilliant free kick against England in the last four is the proof that shows how skilled Damsgaard looked in the tournament.
It’s a fantastic free kick by Mikkel Damsgaard! ?? #ENGDEN | #ITVFotboll | # Euro2020 pic.twitter.com/0mkPNI9v5m
– ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 7, 2021
And it’s not just his production that makes him so exceptional. Denmark’s passionate togetherness during the competition was highlighted by their forwards’ defensive contribution. Damsgaard not only showed his glittering attacking talent but showed his collective attitude with a discipline that suits some beyond his years.
The 21-year-old proved his all-round brilliance this summer and although he will not be cheap, Spurs must secure his signature to succeed Eriksen at the club – just as he does on the international stage.
