Brad Friedel has revealed that the progression of Fabrice Muamba's recovery has given the Tottenham Hotspur squad a "big lift".
The Bolton Wanderers midfielder suffered a cardiac arrest during an FA Cup tie at White Hart Lane last Saturday and his heart had stopped for 78 minutes.
He has since become stabilised in hospital and has even shared a joke with his visiting teammates.
Friedel has claimed that the positive stories which continue to circulate from the London Chest Hospital have helped raise morale around the North London club.
The 40-year-old American told talkSPORT: "My father has had heart problems for the last 19 years so I know a little bit about it. When you consider the amount of time his heart was stopped, it's incredible to see the signs of recovery that he's made.
"It's given everyone around the football club a lift. There are a lot of players in the Spurs changing room who know him personally and people were really down. When they heard about his recovery it gave people a big lift.
"I know he's still in a serious state and we're all praying from him, as the whole football world is, but thank God he's where he's at right now."
The match, which was abandoned, has been rescheduled and will now take place on Tuesday at 7.30pm.
Robert Summerscales
