Muamba could return

A leading heart expert says Fabrice Muamba could be back playing football within six months.



The Bolton midfielder was discharged from the London Chest Hospital on Monday, almost a month to the day after he suffered a cardiac arrest at White Hart Lane in the Trotters' FA Cup quarter-final against Tottenham.

Muamba's heart stopped beating for 78 minutes, but he has made a remarkable recovery since then and Dr Richard Cooke, a consultant cardiologist at London Bridge Hospital, says the former England U21 could return to action this year.

"It would seem highly likely that he would have had a defibrillator put in," he said.

"There are some footballers who do play with them and have had a similar history, so as long as he makes a full neurological recovery, from a heart perspective there is no reason why he couldn't resume his professional football career.

"With his heart stopping for so long, it was an amazing story how they were able to keep him going for such a long period of time.

"There is always concern that he might develop injury to the brain, but as long as the resuscitation was adequate, then you would hope he would make a full recovery.

"It depends entirely on the degree of recovery he has made already, but all being well, I would not be surprised if he was back playing football in six months."