ROMELU LUKAKU and his Belgium team-mates will join Denmark in a tenth-minute tribute to Christian Eriksen.
Eriksen’s Inter Milan team-mate Lukaku revealed the ball will be kicked out in the tenth minute to celebrate the health of the Danish playmaker.
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Recuperating Eriksen, 29, will watch the game from a hospital bed as he recovers from a horrifying cardiac arrest.
Belgium forward Lukaku admits he was in tears as he watched Eriksen fight for his life on the pitch during Denmark’s Group B opener against Finland.
And now Lukaku, 28, is ready to take a moment during the clash on Thursday to honour the Danes’ No 10.
Lukaku, who scored twice in Belgium’s opening 3-0 win over Russia, said: “We will kick the ball out and stop playing in the tenth minute to applaud and as a salute for him. This is the most important thing.
“I want to go and see Christian in hospital. I will send Christian a message after the game, but right now I need to give him some time with his family.”
Roberto Martinez is also fully behind taking time out of their game to honour Eriksen — and says his Belgium players may also commemorate him pre-match too.
But the Red Devils boss says after the tenth minute, the focus will return to winning the game — which could see them qualify for the knockout stages.
Martinez said: “There is a real intention to show our well wishes towards Christian.
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“The uncertainty when the incident happened was tough for our players who have shared dressing rooms with him.
“Once we got the good news that he reacted positively, now it is almost a celebration. But then the game needs to be played and it’s an important game.
“The players will know the importance and what is at stake, and that focus will shift quickly — but we should still send a big message.”
It was today revealed Eriksen will be fitted with a heart-starter device.
Their team doctor Morten Boesen has now confirmed in a statement that Eriksen will be fitted with a Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.
Boesen said: “After Christian has been through different heart examinations it has been decided that he should have an ICD (heart starter).
“This device is necessary after a cardiac attack due to rhythm disturbances.
“Christian has accepted the solution and the plan has moreover been confirmed by specialists nationally and internationally who all recommend the same treatment.
“We encourage everybody to give Christian and his family peace and privacy the following time.”
An ICD is a device, usually fitted in your chest, that helps people with dangerously irregular heart rhythms and checks your beat all the time
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
