• Denmark’s leader says Spurs is worried about the midfielder.
• Players complain about FA’s “too violent personal attacks”.

Tottenham liked another backlash after Denmark’s leader, Åge Hareide, suggested that Christian Eriksen’s stomach problem could be a chronic condition. The 26-year-old has not played since his 2-1 Premier League victory in Brighton on 22 September.

Denmark’s bit-and-pieces side goes down and fights in friendship with Slovakia. Spurs had expected Eriksen to return after the international break this week, but Hareide said it was unlikely that the midfielder would travel to the Nations League match against Ireland on Saturday.

“Christian has an abdominal problem. Such injury may be chronic, and it is true that Tottenham also fears that” Norwegian told Danmarks Canal 9. “It cannot happen to Christians. We also have two important matches in November we look at him, but I do not think we see Christians in Dublin.” Spurs found their Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen might be out for longer than expected with a hamstring problem. Tottenham is also without Mousa Dembélé (thigh), Parts Alli (hamstring) and Serge Aurier (thigh) due to injury.

Eriksen is among the Danish players who have said that they were subject to “too violent personal attacks” in a contract dispute with the country’s football association. Denmark was forced to put a serious weakened lineup with some Futsal players for friendship with Slovakia last month after the collapse of negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. A temporary agreement was obtained, which allowed the top players to be available for a Nations League match against Wales days later, and a new deal was concluded at the end of September until 2024.

In an open letter written on behalf of the national team and released Monday, three of Denmark’s best players – Eriksen, Kasper Schmeichel, and Simon Kjaer – say they fought for a better deal at a time when the team “is under pressure from… big clubs and their competitions where the big money is in football”.