Inter attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen has admitted that his Italian should probably be better than it currently is but has blamed the global COVID-19 pandemic for him being where he is in his learning of the language.

The Danish national team player joined Inter to much excitement in the most recent January transfer window from Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in a circa €20 million deal but things have not exactly went to plan for him in the city of Milan as of yet.

Eriksen’s performances in an Inter shirt have left a lot to be desired for the most part and he has certainly not played as much as he, nor anyone, expected him to when he arrived at the club on a four and a half year contract.

“I would say it [my Italian] is okay but I certainly don’t speak Italian fluently. I manage to understand more and more things over time, but it probably should be better,” he explained as part of a question and answer session organised by the Danish football association, as quoted by Danish news outlet BT Sport.

“Unfortunately, because of everything that is happening with Covid, we don’t really know our schedule and with all these games it becomes difficult to study correctly.”

He also went on to reveal that he became a footballer due to his desire to represent Denmark: “I became a professional footballer precisely because I aimed to be a player for the national team.

“It’s always the most important thing, but otherwise it’s always a pleasure to go home and be with all the other guys.

“My best game for Denmark? Without a doubt the play-off against Republic of Ireland in the World Cup qualifiers, where I scored a hat-trick and got Niklas Bendtner his penalty.”