Owen Coyle has revealed the astonishing progress made by Fabrice Muamba as the Bolton man continues to recover from a cardiac arrest.
Collapse brought everyone together, admits Ricketts
Owen Coyle has revealed the astonishing progress made by Fabrice Muamba as the Bolton man continues to recover from a cardiac arrest.
Muamba collapsed during Bolton's FA Cup quarter-final at Tottenham on 17th March and it took 78 minutes for the 23-year-old midfielder's heart to start beating again.
It was feared that if oxygen could not get to his brain in this time then permanent damage would be done to his health.
But Muamba has defied the odds and Bolton boss Coyle has now revealed the staggering extent of the former Arsenal player's improving condition.
"When I went to see him last week, he was able to walk around his room," Coyle told
The Daily Telegraph.
"He's come out the bed and sat in the chair. That was a week ago. And bit by bit the improvements are coming. God willing he gets back to a high standard.
"He's getting better day by day. It's truly remarkable, given where he's come from, when his heart stopped for over an hour and a half.
Concern
"There was a concern about the lack of oxygen during that period, but where he is now is terrific. He's still got a long way to go. He's stable. But he's still in intensive care.
"The specialists were fantastic, kept us informed every step of the way. They were astonished by his progress. Even by the Monday, they just weren't expecting that to happen.
"It's been a continual progress. He's such a physically strong guy. But I have no doubt all that energy that came from all the good wishes have played a part.
"What they did in those initial stages - to be honest, with this stuff I'm out my comfort zone - they did a cooling off, brought the body temperature right down, then stabilised it and brought the temperature back up so that the heart could kick in of its own accord.
"That was the critical moment. The concern they had was the oxygen to the brain. But the reaction he has had has eased that worry. He's going the right way."
Lift
And Bolton team-mate Sam Ricketts feels Muamba's dramatic recovery has lifted the entire club.
"When Fabrice started to get better there was just a new buoyancy around the place," the 30-year-old full-back told
The Sun.
"It brought everybody together again because we see that he is making a remarkable recovery."
With winnable home matches against Fulham and Swansea either side of a trip to Newcastle, the Trotters are hopeful of moving clear of the drop zone.
Ricketts added: "We've got two home games in the next week or so and we'll be looking to win those."
