‘Small signs’ Schumacher will wake from coma after skiing horror

Updates since the accident have offered few details and limited optimism for the 45-year-old German, and the latest statement from his agent was little different, describing “an extremely intimate and fragile situation”.

Sabine Kehm said: “It is very hard to comprehend for all of us that Michael, who had overcome a lot of precarious situations in the past, has been hurt so terribly in such a banal situation.

“We are and remain confident that Michael will pull through and will wake up. There sometimes are small, encouraging signs, but we also know that this is the time to be very patient.”

Small signs that doctors are watching for could include fluttering eyelids, or efforts to breathe without a ventilator.

“It’s still very difficult to predict what his long-term recovery will be like and if he does wake up and comes off the ventilator,” said Dr Tipu Aziz, professor of neurosurgery at Oxford University. “In all likelihood he will be severely disabled.”

Schumacher was badly injured when he crashed into rocks on a slope at the Meribel ski station in the French Alps on December 29.