Footballer Fabrice Muamba is showing signs of improvement, speaking and moving his arms and legs, days after collapsing on the pitch.
A statement released by Bolton Wanderers and the London hospital treating him raised fresh hopes for the 23-year-old, who lives in Wilmslow, saying he was ‘showing slow signs of improvement’ but warning that his condition ‘remained serious’.
The football world was left in shock on Saturday when Muamba dropped to the turf having suffered a cardiac arrest in the first half of Bolton’s FA Cup clash with Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.
Medical staff took two hours to get his heart beating again and he was taken to the London Chest Hospital in Bethnal Green, where he remains.
Muamba’s fiancee, Shauna Magunda, who lives with the midfielder and the couple’s three-year-old son Joshua in Wilmslow, has been keeping a vigil at his bedside.
She wrote on social networking site Twitter: “All your prayers are working people thank u so so much. Every prayer makes him stronger. To God be the glory.”
The statement, released by the hospital and the club, said: “He is currently able to breathe independently without the aid of a ventilator.
“He has also been able to recognise family members and respond to questions appropriately.
“These are all positive signs of progress. However, his condition remains serious and our medical staff in intensive care will continue to monitor and treat him.”
Bolton manager Owen Coyle and chairman Phil Gartside were among the visitors who included former Manchester City star Shaun Wright-Phillips and Chelsea’s Ashley Cole.
Outside the hospital where fans have left tributes Coyle said relatives had been ‘inundated’ with messages of support.
“He’s such a wonderful lad, he’s a young man and we all hope that will help,” he said.
In Bolton, fans have continued to flock to the Reebok Stadium to lay flowers, shirts and messages of support for Muamba, while a special book for fans to sign has been opened.
The Express featured a story about Shauna when she started her own catering business preparing traditional Jamaican food.
