Christian Eriksen Brandon Williams FC Brentford Norwich CityGetty Images

Williams explains hugging Eriksen after Brentford star pulled him to the ground

Brandon Williams has opened up on his decision to hug Christian Eriksen on the ground after the pair were involved in a brief tussle during Norwich and Brentford's Premier League clash on Saturday.

The Denmark international, starting for the Bees nine months on from his cardiac arrest at Euro 2020, brought down the Canaries defender with a hefty challenge, prompting an initially furious response.

But upon realising who had tackled him, Williams instead hugged his opponent with a grin before helping him back to his feet - and now the Manchester United loanee has spoken out on his thoughts about the incident.

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What has been said?

"Yeah, obviously it was a moment that just happened," Williams said in an interview with Sky Sports News. "It was instinct. I got past him and I felt him pull me down. We were on the attack and I was really angry.

"I was going to hold him but then, you know what he's been through. It's incredible, what he has done [to get] back now. It was something special for him to be back on the pitch, for himself, and to be involved in that, I felt like he needed a hug.

"It's something that no player wants to go through. It was amazing that he's back. He's a top-quality player and he'll show that he'll get back to his best very soon. It was just instinct and it was something that I felt was right."

The bigger picture

Eriksen's recovery remains one of the feelgood sport stories of the past year, sparking an outpouring of support for the former Tottenham and Inter playmaker as he embarks upon his career once more.

With the Bees, he will hope to push himself into contention to feature for Denmark at the World Cup later this year, having missed out on his country's run to the semi-finals of Euro 2020 following his collapse.

Williams meanwhile will face an uncertain future beyond the end of the campaign, with Norwich facing a tough fight to escape relegation and questions over whether he has a long-term career back at Old Trafford.

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