Norwich defender Brandon Williams has spoken out after he was spotted hugging Christian Eriksen last weekend after initially looking furious with the Brentford midfielder.
Williams is currently on loan at the Canaries from Manchester United and is attempting to help Dean Smith’s side avoid relegation back to the Championship, which looks like an incredibly difficult task.
The English left-back has made 21 league appearances for Norwich, registering one assist and showing glimpses of good potential – though it has been hard to impress at the bottom-placed side.
The Canaries lost 3-1 to Brentford last Saturday in what was a devastating loss for the East Anglian side, and the biggest talking point from the match was Eriksen starting his first Premier League match since his cardiac arrest at the Euros.
The 30-year-old was in the bad books though as he dragged down Williams as the 21-year-old attempted to drive into the Bees half, the pair then fell on top of one another in looked like a moment where tensions could fly, but the coming together ended in a warm embrace instead.
Speaking to Football Daily, Williams explained the coming together: “Obviously, it was just a moment that just happened, it was just instinct.
"I got past him and then I felt him pull me down, we were on the attack and I was really angry so then I was going to hold him but then I know what he’s been through and it’s incredible what he’s done and he’s back now.
“It was something special for him to be back on the pitch for himself and to be involved in that (game), I felt he needed a hug.
“It’s something that no player wants to go through. It’s amazing that he’s back and he’s a top-quality player and I’m sure that he’ll get back to his best very soon.”
Eriksen joined Brentford from Inter Milan in the January transfer window, with the Serie A rules meaning that the 30-year-old would be unable to play in the league due to his heart condition.
In joining the 15th-placed Bees, the former Tottenham Hotspur star joins a team with a strong Danish core – which is likely to have been a factor in joining the side.
Asked about how his teammates have reacted to the video, Williams continued: “They were just asking me about it and did I mean it, I just said it was instinct and that it was just something that I felt was right.”
Eriksen’s full debut will have been an incredible moment for the playmaker, but the midfielder is keen to start regularly beyond this point.
He said: “Thomas (Frank) asked me if I felt OK to play 90 minutes and I said for me that's no problem.
"I feel good, I've been training very hard and been part of the team for a few weeks, getting used to the system they have here of how we want to play.
"It gets easier every day and playing a full game obviously helps. Personally, for me it has been about getting back to full fitness and being able to play football at the top level again, then let's see where that takes me.
"Obviously, I am here to help Brentford to stay up and get my own football career back on track."
