The former Arsenal midfielder John Jensen will take charge of Denmark’s Nations League opener against Wales after the row which has rocked Danish football took an extraordinary twist.

Denmark’s preparations for the game in Aarhus on Sunday are in turmoil over the dispute concerning the players’ commercial rights. The Danish Football Association (DBU) is set to field a team consisting of domestic players rather than Premier League-based stars such as Christian Eriksen and Kasper Schmeichel.

Denmark are playing Slovakia in a friendly in Trnava on Wednesday and the DBU director Claus Bretton-Meyer told the Danish Broadcasting Corporation that it had selected a squad drawn from the first and second divisions of the domestic league. It has also been reported in Denmark that members of the national Futsal squad will feature in the squad.

The DBU confirmed the 53-year-old Jensen will be in charge of the Slovakia and Wales games rather than Age Hareide. He said: “When I say yes to help it’s because I feel very strong for the national team as an institution, and because the most important thing must be that the games will be played after all.”

Jensen, who is noted for scoring in Denmark’s Euro 1992 final victory against Germany, spent eight months coaching in the Premier League at Blackburn in 2011. He went on to become a consultant at Brondby and spent fours years in charge of the Danish club Fremad Amager between 2014 and 2018.

“I just hope to help us get through the two matches and that the parties find a solution as soon as possible,” Jensen added. “The national team has meant infinitely much to me in my career and in my life. It hurts to follow this course, and I hope my contribution can help mitigate the negative consequences.”

Eriksen had earlier called for a truce in the row and said Denmark’s players were willing to play the two games under the terms of the old commercial rights agreement.

“We have to solve this conflict now, not just digging the ditches deeper,” the Tottenham midfielder said. “Let’s renew the old deal by one month. Then we have organised relationships right now and we are prepared to play the international matches this week. Sign up and we will sit on the plane immediately. We are ready and we will play.”