Player who fell from 3rd floor facing ‘very slow’ recovery

MADRID (AP) Albacete midfielder Pelayo Novo faces a ''very slow'' recovery after falling from the third floor of the team's hotel, the club said Sunday.

Albacete vice president Victor Varela said Novo was in stable condition a day after undergoing surgery for multiple fractures sustained in Saturday's fall.

The 27-year-old Spaniard from the second-division Spanish club remained in an intensive care unit but responded satisfactorily as doctors began removing medication that was keeping him sedated.

''The recovery process will be gradual, very slow,'' Varela said. ''The family is confident that he is receiving the best care possible and that everything will improve little by little.''

Novo fell into an open space by a set of stairs in an interior area of the hotel, reportedly while leaning on a railing and using his phone.

''Yesterday, the important thing was to make sure that the player stayed with us,'' Varela said. ''Now we have to wait to see how everything progresses. We must remain cautious, we don't know how long it's going to take. It was a touch-and-go situation, but things have progressed favorably.''

The incident happened in the northeastern city of Huesca, where Albacete was due to play the local team on Saturday. The match was postponed.