MIRACLE man Fabrice Muamba will celebrate his 24th birthday today with the news he could be moved from intensive care early next week to continue his remarkable recovery back in the North West.

Just 20 days after Muamba went into cardiac arrest on the pitch at Tottenham, causing his heart to stop beating on its own for 78 minutes, visitors to the player’s bedside at the London Chest Hospital have reported he is now walking freely around the building in short spells.

Doctors are cautiously optimistic about his progress and will review his situation on Tuesday with a view to moving him to a different ward, and eventually back to a hospital nearer to his home in Wilmslow.

Muamba will celebrate his birthday with a small gathering of family and friends, including fiancee Shauna Magunda, three-year-old son Josh and his father Marcel.

A steady stream of visitors has also travelled to the capital from the football club this week, including chairman Phil Gartside and club doctor Jonathan Tobin on Tuesday and club chaplain Phil Mason yesterday.

Speaking at his morning press conference at the club’s Euxton training ground, Owen Coyle described Muamba’s condition as “fantastically uplifting”.

But the Wanderers boss reckons it is far too early to be debating whether or not the former England Under-21 international will make a return to football.

“My hope is that he comes back to have a great family life with Shauna and young Josh, and anything on top of that is going to be a bonus,” he said.

“Given his improvement so far there is always hope.

“We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves. As much as he is doing well, and we’re thrilled to bits that he has got this far, we still have to give that bit of balance to it.”

Wanderers face Fulham at home tomorrow and defender Sam Ricketts believes that Muamba’s continued progress has been a big factor in the club’s recent upturn in form, which has seen them pull clear of the relegation zone.

“When Fabrice started to get better there was just a new buoyancy around the place,” he said.

“It brought everybody together again because we see that he is making a remarkable recovery.”