Bolton players to visit Muamba

Fabrice Muamba will be visited by his Bolton team-mates ahead of Tuesday’s rescheduled FA Cup match against Spurs, Owen Coyle confirmed.

The tie at White Hart Lane was abandoned shortly before half-time after the 23-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest, but he has since made good progress in his recovery at the London Chest Hospital.

“Fabrice had a decent weekend and has continued to improve,” manager Owen Coyle told reporters. “He remains in intensive care so that shows he is still in a serious situation.

“He was able to watch Match of the Day on Sunday morning, and he was deeply moved by the mosaic and the support he received from both the Bolton and Blackburn fans on the day.

“He was pleased that his team-mates won the match, although he fell back asleep when the score was 2-0.

“The fact that he was able to watch a large part of the game, given where we were a week ago, is great news.

“In the last 48 hours he is beginning to become aware of the global response, and he is overwhelmed by all the support.

“His family continue to spend time with Fabrice and a couple of the players will visit him over these next few days to represent the squad.

“He is still in intensive care and it’s important that he doesn’t have too many visitors as he continues his recovery, step by step.”

Coyle went on to acknowledge that the tie would be an emotional occasion, adding: “Is it going to be tough? Yes.

“It will give us a chance to thank the Tottenham fans because last Saturday it was almost like a sixth sense had taken over. There was a real sense of unity.”

The clubs confirmed that the shirts worn in the Cup clash would be auctioned off, with the proceeds going to a host of charities including the London Chest Hospital and the London Ambulance Service.