Football
Reuters 1y

Man United's Christian Eriksen in 21-man Denmark squad with five places up for grabs

Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen has been included in the Denmark squad that will compete at the 2022 World Cup as head coach Kasper Hjulmand named 21 of his 26-man party for the finals in Qatar.

The remaining five players will be revealed following the last round of European fixtures before the tournament. The final list must be delivered to FIFA by Nov. 13, with the World Cup scheduled to begin on Nov. 20.

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Christian Eriksen, who has recovered fully from the heart attack he suffered in Copenhagen during Euro 2020, was included in the squad that boasts a wealth of big-game experience.

Simon Kjaer will captain the side, with Hertha Berlin goalkeeper Oliver Christensen, Leeds United defender Rasmus Kristensen and Eintracht Frankfurt forward Jesper Lindstrom the only players that have not played at the finals of a major tournament for Denmark before.

The squad was unveiled in a slick video that featured a reworked version of the Danish national anthem alongside Danish fans and well-known faces such as former striker Nicklas Bendtner and former prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt.

On naming just 21 of his 26-player squad, Hjulmand said: "Many things can happen. It's unsolvable, but it's the right way to do it -- there are two games left for many of our players, and that can easily change things."

Hjulmand has kept the door open for the likes of midfielder Christian Norgaard and forward Yussuf Poulsen, who were not included in the 21-man list.

"There are 10 or 12 players still in contention for the last five spots," Hjulmand added.

Denmark will take on Tunisia, France and Australia at their sixth World Cup finals. They achieved their best result at the 1998 tournament in France when they reached the quarterfinals, where they lost 3-2 to Brazil.

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