Doctor cautious over Muamba

Mohiddin, who has been in charge of Muamba since his admission to the London Chest Hospital, admitted the Bolton midfielder's progress had been extraordinary since he suffered a cardiac arrest at Tottenham on Saturday evening that meant he effectively died for 78 minutes after his heart stopped beating.

However, it may be some time before Muamba completes a return to full health, and Mohiddin said: "Fabrice has continued to demonstrate positive signs of recovery and he has not only exceeded our expectations but also our hopes in the way he's recovered. But this remains very early in what could be a lengthy recovery period."

Muamba's recovery has left Bolton sufficiently uplifted to confirm Saturday's Premier League encounter with Blackburn at the Reebok Stadium will go ahead, as will the rescheduled FA Cup quarter-final with Spurs next Tuesday.

But memories of the harrowing scenes at White Hart Lane are still fresh.

Medical staff desperately tried to save Muamba's life on the pitch before he was rushed to hospital, where the 23-year-old has remained.

Bolton team doctor Jonathan Tobin has revealed how he broke down at the hospital on Saturday as he feared the consequences of what had happened.

"I can't begin to explain the pressure that was there," said Tobin. "This isn't somebody that's gone down in the street or been brought into A&E.

"This is somebody that I know, I know his family. This is somebody I consider a friend. This is somebody I joke with on a daily basis.

"As I was running onto the pitch I was thinking 'Oh my God, it's Fabrice'."

Source: PA

Source: PA