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Tottenham have been alerted to Christian Eriksen's abdominal problem and Denmark coach Age Hareide has said there are fears the issue could become long term. The Spurs midfielder has missed his club's last four matches and is also set to be absent when Denmark visit the Republic of Ireland for Saturday's UEFA Nations League clash. "Christian has an issue with an abdominal muscle, and Tottenham have tried to say it's a long-term problem," Hareide told Denmark's Canal 9. "It's doubtful that we can bring him to Dublin and get him to play. I don't think Tottenham are very interested in that. "It's been long-term since he missed the game against Barcelona and [was] out again against Cardiff. It's been over a week and I know he's known about this problem for a while. "We have two important games in November as well. We will take a look at him, but I don't think we will see Christian in Dublin." Eriksen last played for Tottenham in their 2-1 victory over Brighton on Sept. 22. Despite failing to score in the league so far, he has two assists and did find the back of the net in the 2-1 defeat at Inter Milan in the Champions League. In the Dane's absence, Spurs overcame Watford on penalties in the Carabao Cup before beating Huddersfield and Cardiff in the Premier League, either side of a 4-2 home loss against Barcelona in the Champions League. With the international break coming, Tottenham's next fixture is not until Oct. 20, when they visit West Ham. Meanwhile, Denmark's players said they were subject to "overly violent personal attacks" during a contract dispute with the country's football association. Denmark were forced to field a severely weakened lineup containing some futsal players for a friendly against Slovakia last month after the collapse of negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement regarding commercial rights. A temporary agreement was reached, allowing the top players to be available for a UEFA Nations League game against Wales days later, and a new agreement was finalized at the end of September through 2024. In an open letter written on behalf of the national team and published on Monday, three of Denmark's top players -- Eriksen, Kasper Schmeichel and Simon Kjaer -- say they fought for a better deal at a time when the team "is under pressure from ... the big clubs and their competitions, where the big money is in football." The players praised the "1,000 players" who refused the chance to play against Slovakia in support of the players' union.
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