Ajax’s Nouri awakes from coma nearly after three years

• The midfielder collapsed on the pitch on July 8, 2017 in a friendly game against Werder Bremen.

Ajax midfielder Abdelhak Nouri has woken from a coma after two years, eight months and 19 days.

His brother Abderrahim said the 22-year-old woke up and showed signs of life, Dutch daily De Telegraaf reported late on Thursday.

"It is going well with Appie [Abdelhak]. Yes, what is good? He's awake, he's asleep, he's eating, he's burping, but he's not getting out of bed," said Abderrahim.

"At good times there is a form of communication, then he moves his eyebrows. He just can't keep it up for long, that seems to be top sport for him," he said, adding that Nouri was at home with his family and "aware of where he is".

The promising Dutch international collapsed on the field during a friendly game against Werder Bremen on July 8, 2017 in Austria due to a cardiac arrest, which caused serious brain damage.

After Nouri's diagnosis, Ajax were forced to admit that their on-field treatment of the player was inadequate and club doctor Don de Winter was relieved of his duties.

It was reported that De Winter deviated from UEFA's guidelines and began resuscitation attempts too late, with Ajax chief executive Edwin van der Sar explaining that a defibrillator should "have been used sooner".