Bolton set to make decision on Blackburn game today

Bolton will decide today whether they will play Blackburn in the Premier League on Saturday.

Life has been on hold at the Reebok Stadium since Saturday, when midfielder Fabrice Muamba collapsed after suffering a cardiac arrest at Tottenham.

Medical staff at White Hart Lane and at the London Chest Hospital took two hours to get Muamba’s heart working again and the 23-year-old has made huge improvements, to the point where he has been able to speak some words, in both French and English.

However, further recovery may be a slow process and life for a Premier League football club must at some stage get back to normal.

Members of Bolton’s squad visited their team-mate yesterday, along with manager Owen Coyle, who has seen Muamba every day since his collapse. But with training planned for today, Coyle returned north with his players last evening and will now assess their mood and confirm if a fixture, that could have huge implications for Bolton’s chances of staying in the Premier League, will go ahead.

Although the belief is that Bolton are going to play, Coyle admitted focusing on the match has been impossible.

“That’s not something of great importance to me at this moment in time,” said the Scot. “In the course of today, as we hope and pray that Fabrice continues to improve, that’s something we will have to look at. My thoughts are that we will have the group back in training tomorrow and we will look at it from then.”

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore revealed his organisation was in contact with Bolton regarding the Blackburn fixture, adding: “We’ll take it literally on a daily basis.”

After their extensive update on Muamba’s progress on Monday, the London Chest Hospital were less forthcoming yesterday.

“Fabrice Muamba has had a comfortable night in the intensive care unit at The London Chest Hospital, where the medical team is continuing to monitor his progress,” read a statement issued yesterday morning.

It means many questions about Muamba’s long-term situation remain unanswered, not least whether he will ever play again. The former Birmingham man remains in intensive care and “a period of quiet reflection” took place at the Reebok last evening between 6.30pm and 9pm to allow fans to offer further prayers for Muamba.