Former player claims Eriksen is now ‘a better footballer’ than he was at Spurs

Former AC Milan and Celtic midfielder, Massimo Donati has claimed that Christian Eriksen’s all-round game has improved since he left Tottenham to join Inter Milan.

Eriksen moved to the San Siro in January of last year, with Inter parting ways with €20m (£17m) for the midfielder despite the fact that he only had six months left to run on his contract at Spurs at the time.

The Dane struggled to make an impact in his first 12 months in Italian football and was consigned to a bit-part role by Antonio Conte in the first half of the season.

Eriksen was linked with a potential return to Spurs during the January transfer window but the deal did not materialise.

However, the 29-year-old has played more regularly over the past few months and is showing glimpses of the form that made him one of the Premier League’s most feared attackers during his time in North London.

Donati, who is now part of Angelo Alessio’s coaching staff at Kilmarnock, insisted that Conte has helped Eriksen to become a better player.

He told Football Italia: “There are many players who need to settle in. Eriksen needed to know what Antonio Conte wants from him. He needed a different intensity to impose himself.

“He understood quality was not enough, he understood he had to add something extra, more runs, more sacrifice and now you can see all his qualities.

When asked if Eriksen was a more complete midfielder, Donati said: “I think he is different because he is playing a different football.

“When he was at Tottenham he had more attacking duties. Therefore, he was fresher when he had the ball in the final third.

“Overall, however, I think he has improved. Conte is capable of making his players evolve and I think Eriksen is a better footballer now.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Eriksen’s quality was never really in doubt and it looks like Conte has now found a role for the former Tottenham man within his system. However, I do not think Eriksen has hit anywhere the same heights at Inter as he did for Spurs from 2014 to 2018 and it looks unlikely that he is going to reach those levels again.

Related Topics