Small improvement for Muamba

Premiership football club Bolton Wanderers issued a statement on Monday saying its midfielder Fabrice Muamba had made slight progress in hospital since his on-pitch collapse in an FA Cup quarterfinal on Saturday.

"Fabrice Muamba remains in intensive care at The London Chest Hospital, where today he is showing small signs of improvement," the statement said. "His heart is now beating without the help of medication and he is also moving his arms and legs."

Muamba collapsed on the field with nobody around him during a Bolton match against Tottenham Hotspurs. When the severity of his injury became apparent, veteran referee Howard Webb swiftly brought the game to a halt.

Paramedics were on the scene immediately, trying to resuscitate the former England Under-21 international, who spent the first 10 years of his life in the Democratic Republic of Congo before fleeing the civil war there with his family.

Muamba's heart did not start beating naturally again until two hours after his collapse, and Bolton Wanderers' Monday statement cautioned that the player was still in a critical condition.

"His long-term prognosis will remain unclear for some time. He is still critically ill and will continue to be closely monitored and treated by staff in the London Chest Hospital's intensive care unit," the club said.

Tributes and well-wishes have flocked in for the 23-year-old player, considered one of the most likeable and grounded young stars in the English premiership.

msh/acb (AFP, AP)