Montpellier midfielder Junior Sambia is out of a coma and breathing on his own after being diagnosed with Covid-19, according to his agent.
The 23-year-old was admitted to hospital on Tuesday after suffering from severe gastroenteritis, which was followed by violent vomiting.
Sambia's condition did not improve and by Thursday, he had been placed in intensive care at the Arnaud-de-Villeneuve University Hospital in Montpellier.
On Saturday though, Sambia's agent Frederic Guerra was able to provide good news when he stated his client was out of a coma and no longer on respiratory assistance.
"They stopped breathing assistance," Guerra told French radio station RTL. "The process is long, but he is no longer in a coma. We are probably going towards good news."
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Guerra said that Sambia originally tested negative for Covid-19 but a subsequent test days later revealed the Montpellier player did in fact have the virus.
"It is tough. He really respected confinement. He did everything well. He must have contracted the virus while shopping," Guerra told Le Parisien on Friday.
"He suffered three days of severe diarrhoea - like gastroenteritis. Then, on Tuesday morning, he went to the hospital.
"I reached him when he was on an IV. He had just received the Covid-19 test result. This one was negative. He was due to leave on Wednesday, then his condition worsened with his lungs.
"It grew more complicated in transit. He went back to the same hospital, then he changed hospitals twice before being placed in an artificial coma."
Sambia is the first known Ligue 1 player to test positive for the coronavirus. Last month Suk Hyun-jun, who plays for Ligue 2 side Troyes, became the first professional footballer in France to test positive and has since recovered.
Sambia has played 22 times in all competitions for La Paillade this season, scoring one goal and providing one assist.
Ligue 1 has been suspended since March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The French Professional Football League (LFP) has since outlined plans to complete the 2019-20 season behind closed doors, with the 2020-21 season to begin in late August if all goes according to plan.
