Ajax midfielder Nouri's brain damage serious and permanent

Ajax Amsterdam midfielder Abdelhak Nouri's brain damage is “serious and permanent” and he has no chance of a full recovery, the club said on Thursday. The 20-year-old collapsed during a pre-season friendly against Werder Bremen in Austria on Sunday when his heart stopped.

Shocked by the sad news of young Ajax midfielder, Appie #Nouri My thoughts and prayers are with his family and his friends #StayStrongAppie pic.twitter.com/ppthn93XBb

— Wesley Sneijder (@sneijder101010) July 13, 2017

He was revived on the pitch and airlifted to hospital, but Ajax have confirmed that although his heart is working normally, he has lost function in parts of his brain. Nouri has been cleared to leave hospital in Innsbruck and will be transferred to Amsterdam in the coming days, Ajax said.

Thanks to everyone for their support. We will keep you informed. For now: stay strong Appie! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/vo4VVkjFbZ— AFC Ajax (English) (@AFCAjax_EN) July 8, 2017

Nouri made 15 appearances for the Dutch club last season, including three in the Europa League, though he did not play in the final, a defeat to Manchester United. He is a Dutch youth international and was born in Amsterdam to parents of Moroccan descent. The incident comes a little over a month after Ivory Coast international Cheick Tiote collapsed in training with Chinese club Beijing Enterprises and died on June 5.