Simon Kjaer: 'Christian Eriksen can take Denmark to next level'

Defender Simon Kjaer has acknowledged that Christian Eriksen has the potential to take Denmark to the latter stages of the World Cup.

Eriksen played an instrumental role for Denmark during qualifying, and the Tottenham Hotspur playmaker contributed 10 goals and 10 assists in the Premier League this season.

Denmark play their opening fixture against Peru on Saturday, and Kjaer has talked up the ability of the midfielder ahead of the match in Saransk.

The 29-year-old told Goal.com: "He is the individual who can take our team to the next level - he had an amazing qualifying campaign, scoring a lot of goals.

"Christian and I started in the national team at the same time, we were both selected as very young players for the World Cup in South Africa, and we have played a lot of matches together. He has developed a lot in Tottenham since then and is now our star player."

Eriksen has scored 22 goals from 78 appearances for his country.