Edoardo Bove is set to make emotional return to Fiorentina for first time since his cardiac arrest on the pitch during Inter Milan clash

Edoardo Bove is set to make an emotional return to Fiorentina’s Artemio Franchi Stadium for the first time since his cardiac arrest.

The 22-year-old was rushed to hospital after falling to the floor untouched in the 16th minute during a Serie A match, which was subsequently abandoned.

Players and staff had formed a wall around Bove while medical staff tended to him. Several players from both sides were seen crying in harrowing scenes. 

Reports in Italy claim that a defibrillator was used to restart Bove’s heart before the footballer was taken to the intensive care unit of the Careggi hospital in Florence.

The Italian midfielder, who is on loan from Roma, has reportedly been recovering well after leaving intensive care and was seen visiting his team-mates at the training ground on December 14.

And now he will take the next step in his recovery by attending La Viola’s match with Udinese on Monday night. 

It will be the first time he has been present at the stadium since he collapsed there in early December. He is sure to get a rapturous reception from the home crowd.

Fiorentina’s general manager Alessandro Ferrari confirmed that the midfielder’s recovery is progressing nicely and that he has moved into another unit of the hospital.

‘Edoardo is doing well, he is recovering and we are happy. We have to be patient and have respect for him. He changed [hospital] wards so things are better,’ he told Italian broadcaster Mediaset ahead of Fiorentina’s cup clash with Empoli, which they lost on penalties.

Fiorentina have continued to support Bove, whose future is in doubt due to Serie A rules preventing players from playing in matches with an implanted defibrillator.

Christian Eriksen was an Inter Milan player when he collapsed playing for Denmark at Euro 2020, and subsequently had to leave the club for Brentford due to the ruling.

England could also be an option for Bove if a resolution is not found with the young midfielder reportedly coming close to a move to Nottingham Forest in the summer.

‘It all reached a head on August 30, when she [ex-Roma chief executive Lina Souloukou] wanted to push him to accept the sale to Nottingham Forest for €8m,’ Bove’s agent Diego Tavano has told Corriere dello Sport.

‘There was also the idea of a loan to Olympiacos from Nottingham, but I considered that transfer value to be far below his real worth. 

‘We fought hard and I reassured her, I would find a situation to suit everyone and get more money for the club. That solution for us was only Fiorentina. [Daniele] De Rossi, in any case, always advised the club to give Edo away with an option to bring him back.’

Footage emerged last week of Bove making a tear-jerking entrance at Fiorentina’s training ground as he clapped him and cheered by his team-mates, who were sat down for a team meeting.

Several more round of applause break out even after the star has taken his seat in the training ground.

Bove then meets with a few of his Fiorentina team-mates and staff members one-on-one and takes photos with others present in emotional scenes.

The Italian even had an opportunity to pot a few balls on the pool table as he settled back into the camp.