Kjaerbye officially departs North after medical leave

Markus “Kjaerbye” Kjærbye has officially left the Danish CSGO team North after an extended absence due to medical issues.

The team announced the news on its official Twitter account and on the team’s website, saying that both North and Kjaerbye spoke extensively about his future with the team before the decision was made for the two to part ways.

Kjaerbye left the team in the middle of May citing health concerns, handicapping North during Valve’s Regional Ranking tournament ESL Road to Rio. The team’s coach, Jimmy “Jumpy” Berndtsson, was forced to stand in for Kjaerbye during the tournament. In addition, his departure from the team in the middle of the tournament cost North a percentage of their Regional Ranking points, a blow to a squad that is currently stuck at the bottom of Europe’s regional rankings going into the unannounced fall Regional Major tournament.

“It is with heavy heart, that we say goodbye to Kjaerbye. He is, at his best, not only one of the best in the world, but also a great teammate and an inspiring colleague,” said Christian Engell, North’s performance manager.

Both North and Kjaerbye’s futures uncertain

Without Kjaerbye in the lineup, North has had some trouble in recent matches. The Danish team lost to both OG and Heroic in the summer ranking tournament CS Summit 6, two teams on paper that North should have beaten. While it put up a fight against OG, North is clearly a weaker team without Kjaerbye in the lineup.  Kristoffer “Kristou” Aamand has taken Kjaerbye’s place on the North roster, but it’s clear that the young player needs time to develop professionally and to create chemistry with his new teammates.

Just as North’s future is unclear, Kjaerbye’s is as well. There is little room in Europe’s crowded CSGO scene for another rifler, as most of the teams vying for a spot at ESL One Rio are currently on CSGO’s scheduled player break with rosters set in stone. Fans might have to wait a while before Kjaerbye finds a new home, but the player is hopeful about his future:

“I’ve been really happy at North, but it has also been a bumpy road with many changes… I’m far from done with CS. This is what I know, and I look forward to my next adventure,” Kajaerbye said.