Bolton's Fabrice Muamba starting to show early signs of recovery as medics sound note of cautious optimism A statement released jointly by the Barts and London NHS Trust and the player's club at 7.30pm read: "Muamba remains in intensive care at the London Chest Hospital. He is continuing to show signs of improvement this evening. He is currently able to breathe independently without the aid of a ventilator. He has also been able to recognise family members and respond to questions appropriately. These are all positive signs of progress. However, his condition remains serious and our medical staff in intensive care will continue to monitor and treat him. Earlier in the day surgeons withdrew the medication that had at one point kept his heart beating. It led to the hospital releasing a 3.30pm statement that indicated for the first time he had responded to outside stimuli by moving his arms and legs. Muamba's fiancée, Shauna Muganda, then wrote on Twitter: "All your prayers are working, people. Thank you so, so much. Muganda and Muamba's father have kept a constant vigil by his bedside, where the Bolton manager, Owen Coyle, and chairman, Phil Gartside, have also spent much of the past three days. There was also a procession of Premier League footballers offering their support, with Arsenal's Johan Djourou, Queen's Park Rangers" Shaun Wright-Phillips and the Chelsea trio of Didier Drogba, Ashley Cole and Essien paying visits yesterday. Tottenham Hotspur's Emmanuel Adebayor, who missed the abandoned match on Saturday evening with a hamstring strain, arrived at 7.10pm. There were also well wishes from further afield in football. The former England captain David Beckham sent a personal message of support to the 23 year-old as he fought for his life. It followed the "Pray 4 Muamba" motif his former Bolton team-mate Gary Cahill unveiled after scoring, also in the FA Cup, against Leicester on Sunday. AS Roma displayed a message to Muamba on their big screen saying "Strength! We are with you!" before their game against Genoa after members of Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid squad had worn "Get Well Soon Muamba" T-shirts ahead of their 1-1 draw against Malaga on Sunday. Coyle said: "We hope for a continued improvement. He is a lovely young man and he has such a fantastic smile, and that's what we want to see again. David Beckham sent a message from across the Atlantic. It shows the support for Fabrice as a person, not just as a footballer. You see Real Madrid with their T-shirts, and Gary Cahill, his former team-mate. It's just fantastic. Coyle, who has throughout been a dignified spokesman for his club and Muamba's family, again spoke highly of the player's qualities. He added: "We know what a humble person Fabrice is and the messages of support, the phone calls and the text messages from everyone in the Premier League, the Football League and beyond - which we've been passing on to the family - it is humbling to have that level of support. We are all hopeful of a positive outcome but as you can imagine it is a difficult situation. The family are bearing up as best they can. They are very positive people, as Fabrice is, and we're all hoping he came through this. You can feel the strength, unity and togetherness they and as a family they are showing that. It gives them incredible energy. With Coyle ensconced in London, training at Bolton was made optional for the club's players after their Premier League fixture against Aston Villa was postponed. Now the Football Association has granted the club a discretionary period in which to fulfil their tie against Tottenham, with both clubs and the authorities keen to focus on Muamba's recovery. Indeed, no one in football is seeking to take advantage of Muamba's predicament. Blackburn Rovers" embattled manager, Steve Kean, indicated his own understanding if a request is made to reschedule the Premier League fixture. "Whatever we have to do we would only respect what Bolton want us to do next weekend," said Kean. Kean added: "Everyone is taking advice from the hospital and experts in that we are hoping for progress in 24-48 hours and I know we are getting close to that point. We will respect everything that has to be done to facilitate a full recovery not only for Fabrice but his team-mates who could quite possibly be in a difficult position. We will get in communication [with Bolton]. I am sure our directors will speak with theirs and I will speak to Owen myself. We will do the right thing.