Dutch midfielder Abdelhak Nouri has returned home, almost three years after collapsing while playing for Ajax in a friendly against Werder Bremen. 

The 22-year-old suffered permanent brain damage when he suffered a cardiac arrhythmia attack during the game and was placed in a medically induced coma for a year.

Ajax have accepted that they should have used a defibrillator sooner in their on-field treatment with Edwin van der Sar saying they "recognise our responsibility and liability for the consequences".

Nouri's brother Abderrahim has confirmed that he's now been able to return to a home which has been fitted to accommodate his needs.

"He has not been home very long, we take care of him there now," Abderrahim told De Wereld Draait Door. "I must say that since he is at home it is going much better than before in the hospital.

"He is aware of where he is, he is back in a familiar environment with his family. He’s no longer in a coma. He’s just awake.

"He sleeps, he sneezes, he eats, he burps, but it’s not like he gets out of bed. He’s very bedridden and still very dependent on us.

"On his good days, there is a form of communication, for example, confirmation with his eyebrows or a smile. But you notice that he can’t last that very long.

"We talk to him like he’s not sick. We take him into our conversations and we watch football with him in the living room, for example.

"Then he watches. You notice that he likes that very much. He often shows emotions. Sometimes he is emotional, but often there is also a smile.

"That does us good. That makes you really appreciate a smile."