Edoardo Bove is conscious and alert in hospital after his sudden collapse which caused Fiorentina’s match with Inter Milan to be called off, the Serie A club said on Monday. In a statement, Fiorentina said that midfielder Bove “was awakened and extubated this morning. He is currently awake, alert and oriented” at Florence’s Careggi hospital. “He has spoken with his family, club management, the coach and his team-mates, who all rushed to go and see him as soon as they heard the good news,” added Fiorentina. “Further tests will be carried out in the coming days to establish what led to the critical situation that took place yesterday.”

Bove was rushed to the Careggi hospital’s intensive care unit following his sudden fall with 16 minutes played of Sunday’s match, which was goalless when it was stopped for the medical emergency.

Bove’s fall reminded fans of tragic former captain Davide Astori, who in March 2018 died suddenly in his sleep aged 31 in a hotel before a league match at Udinese.

Worried supporters stayed in their seats at the Stadio Artemio Franchi long after the match had been stopped in the hope of positive news after having watched players from both sides and officials sob in shock.

However, initial tests carried out on Sunday evening ruled out any serious damage to his central nervous and the cardio-respiratory systems.

Serie A confirmed to AFP that a meeting will be held on Monday afternoon to decide when the match will be completed, with Italian media reporting that the it won’t be played until February.