Christian Eriksen special - Part One

Christian Eriksen has certainly made an impression since joining us from Ajax last summer.

The Danish playmaker has returned from a nasty ankle injury to produce his best performances of the campaign including three goals in four games over the Festive period.

He ended 2013 by being named Player of the Year by the Danish Football Players' Association - the equivalent of our PFA awards - and the highest individual honour in Denmark.

In part one of this special interview, Christian talks about his early career, winning titles in Holland and his switch to Spurs - insisting the best is yet to come.

Tell us about your early days in Denmark.
Christian: "I moved as a 13-year-old from Middelfart to Odense, I got my first contract at 15, but I took it seriously at 13. I don’t know when you realise when you are good enough to play professionally, but I started playing when I was three. It’s the only thing I had on my mind and I’m lucky it happened."

You earned a big move to Ajax in Holland. What was that like?
Christian: "I’m really thankful I had the chance to play there. It went really well. I had five great years at Ajax. I had a lot to learn when I went there, it was a new atmosphere, a new club, but it went well. I tried to adapt quickly and I was in the first team and we were champions three times in a row."

Is there a lot of pressure to win titles at Ajax?
Christian: "The first season we were fighting against FC Twente, and they won by one point at the end. Ajax hadn’t been champions for seven years, and that’s a big thing. After that, Frank de Boer came in as coach and we won three championships."

Jan Vertonghen was at Ajax at the same time before joining Spurs. Did you speak to him before following the same path?
Christian: "I spoke to Jan a few times before I came here. He only had good stories and when I watched on TV, I was always impressed with Spurs and the Premier League. It was a big step for Jan, he was captain at Ajax and was at Ajax from a kid."

You told us when you joined in the summer that it 'felt right'.
Christian: "Yes, and hopefully you haven’t seen everything yet. I’m glad that I’ve shown what I have in my locker and I want to keep improving and doing my thing and getting better and better. The team is looking good. We're getting better and better. We’re learning new ideas but we’re adapting quickly and when you have such good players it’s easier to adapt."

Tomorrow - Christian on his Danish award, Arsenal and life in London...