Silva continues recovery

Dario Silva is expected to leave hospital next week as he continues his recovery from the horrific car crash which resulted in him having part of his right leg amputated.

He is now thought to be out of intensive care and breathing on his own, and Mario Cancela, a doctor at the La Espanola hospital, does not believe Silva will be staying under their supervision much longer.

"He is a first-class, young sportsman with well-developed muscles," he said. "I'm sure he will not be here too long. I think that if I gave him two crutches, he could travel around the entire hospital in 10 minutes!"

The former Uruguay striker lost control of his vehicle and hit a column of street lights in Montevideo on Sunday, causing him to be placed in a medically induced coma before undergoing the amputation.

Cancela confirmed the amputated area had healed well, and that no further cleaning was necessary as Silva recovered consciousness after the operation.

And although doctors have not officially told Silva that part of his leg had to be amputated, Cancela feels the player is already aware of it.

"We haven't treated that aspect yet, but only because he hasn't asked about it," Cancela explained.

"We prefer to let him talk to his family first and enjoy not having any tubes connected. After that, we'll speak about the subject of his leg, as he will surely have lots of questions to ask.

"He will have to have a lot of important psychological support. However, I'm convinced he already knows about his leg, although I might be wrong."

Cancela said the former Malaga and Portsmouth forward will have to wait "at least one month" to use a prosthesis on his leg.