COPENHAGEN: Christian Eriksen is regarded as one of the brightest young stars in football and he will hope that he can justify the tag of being Denmark’s successor to Michael Laudrup at Euro 2012. At just 20 years of age, the playmaker will be appearing at his second major championships, after being part of the side that bowed out in the group stage of the 2010 World Cup. A lot will revolve around the Ajax star, as the Danes look to progress beyond the so-called “Group of Death”. Eriksen, who already has two Dutch league title winners medals, will be a marked man when Denmark step out to meet Portugal, who the Danes edged in their qualifying group. Unlike Michael Laudrup and his brother Brian, Eriksen — scorer of two goals in 21 international appearances — does not have other top class creative players around him in a side that relies on hard work and team spirit to beat classier opponents. But the youngster has shown in qualifying and in a friendly against England that he is an exceptional talent, with a maturity also reflected in his decision to choose Ajax as his first step on the professional ladder. — AFP