LONDON (Reuters) – Bolton Wanderers manager Owen Coyle said he would
not be surprised if Fabrice Muamba played football again after the midfielder suffered a cardiac arrest last
month.
is chased by Bolton Wanderers' Fabrice Muamba during their English FA Cup quarter-final match, March 17, 2012.
REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett
Muamba has made a miraculous
recovery after being described by his club doctor as “in effect dead” for 78 minutes after collapsing on the pitch during his
side’s FA Cup quarter-final against Tottenham Hotspur on March 17.
The 24-year-old, who was discharged from hospital
on Monday, needed 15 defibrillator shocks to restart his heart and is now resting back at home.
“Knowing Fabrice and
how much of a battler he is, it wouldn’t surprise me if he came back to play football one day,” Coyle said on the club
website (www.bwfc.co.uk).
“But, I’ve got to stress that right now he needs this time with his family.
“He’ll
continue to be monitored and we’ll carry on hoping for continued improvement.”
Muamba’s left hospital days after
Livorno’s Piermario Morosini died after suffering a cardiac arrest during an Italian second division game at Pescara on
Saturday.
Thousands of mourners lined the streets of Bergamo for the 25-year-old’s funeral on Thursday.
“You
only need to look at the tragic events that occurred last weekend in Italy to put things into perspective,” Coyle
added.
“The biggest thing right now is that he (Muamba) is able to go and have that family time with (his fiancee)
Shauna and his young son Joshua.”