LONDON — Bolton manager Owen Coyle is hoping Fabrice Muamba can make a full recovery from his cardiac arrest after the stricken midfielder was reported to be laughing with friends and family.
The football world had feared the worst when Muamba (23) collapsed on the pitch during an FA Cup match with Tottenham at the weekend. Having suffered cardiac arrest, he was treated on the pitch before being rushed to the London Chest Hospital, where two hours later his heart was restarted.
After being placed in an artificial coma, Muamba has since started breathing, speaking and moving unaided, and was reported to have been in good spirits on Tuesday evening.
The ex-Arsenal and Birmingham midfielder’s remarkable progress has led Coyle to revise his expectations, having been primarily concerned about his player’s survival.
“They say (a full recovery) is something that has happened before. Every case is individual and on its own merits,” Coyle said. “The two things that Fabrice have that can help him in this battle are that he is such a fit young man and the life he’s had. “He’s had to fight every step of the way in his young journey, so those two things I am sure will stand him in good stead.
“Football pales into insignificance at this moment, as we know, but he’s an outstanding young individual and we pray that he gets back to that level again.”
Muamba’s friend Emmanuel Adebayor, the Tottenham striker who was injured for Saturday’s match, has been visiting Muamba since his collapse and spoke to journalists outside the East London hospital on Tuesday night.
He said Muamba was “acting normal”, and thanked medical staff at both clubs for their quick action on the pitch, credited in part for his survival. “He’s a strong guy and I think he has been through a lot of things in the last two days, but he’s back to normal and he’s trying to talk normal and he’s acting normal which is very important,” the former Arsenal forward said.
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“At the moment it’s looking good. As a brother, as a friend, it’s a big relief.
“We are very happy the medics from Bolton and Tottenham did a great job — and we have to thank the almighty God as well.
“Hopefully he’ll recover very quickly. Now we have to see how, when they put him on his feet, he reacts as well. That’s another test.” — Reuters
