Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba has been wished a full recovery by Town duo Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Alex McCarthy. Emmanuel-Thomas played with the 23-year-old, who collapsed during his side’s FA Cup tie against Spurs on Saturday, during their time at Arsenal, while McCarthy was a team-mate with England’s U21s.
A statement from Bolton this afternoon says the ex-Birmingham man is showing "small signs of improvement".
Emmanuel-Thomas told the club site: "I was first made aware of Fab's injury after seeing a load of tweets about him on my twitter feed.
"I flicked over to the game and saw all the commotion and people really traumatised by everything. It was shocking to see someone you know in that situation and I just hope he can pull through and I wish him all the best."
McCarthy added: "I came in from our game on Saturday and put the Tottenham match on, and straight away it was clear that something terrible had happened.
"At the time I didn't know it was Fab but I was devastated when I heard the full story on Sky and my thoughts go out to him at this time.
"It's hard to imagine something like this happening to him, as he's one of the fittest players I've ever come across. It's an awful thing to happen and I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that he can come through this and make a speedy recovery."
The club has also sent a message of support to Muamba, who is currently in a critical condition at the London Chest Hospital in Bethnal Green.
A Bolton statement this afternoon says the midfielder is "showing small signs of improvement” and that "his heart is now beating without the help of medication and he is also moving his arms and legs."