Fabrice Muamba: Roberto Mancini calls for more medical screenings

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini says Premier League players should be given two medical screenings each year.

The Italian feels current health assessments are "better in Italy."

Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor said: "For the last 20 years we have spent £350,000 a year on screening players."

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said there would be a review of medical procedures following Fabrice Muamba's cardiac arrest at Tottenham.

Medics spent six minutes trying to resuscitate the 23-year-old Muamba after the Bolton midfielder collapsed at White Hart Lane on Saturday.

The level of care he received owed much to the changes implemented by the Premier League after Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech fractured his skull in 2006.

Nevertheless, City boss Mancini insists medical procedures in England are still not thorough enough.

"When I saw our medical [procedures] two years ago, I was worried. I said we need to do them better," he said. "We need to improve the medical side for the players.

"We need to screen the players often, maybe two times a year, and they have to be more accurate.

"What happened to Muamba can happen and that should be impossible."

PFA supremo Taylor added: "What they have in Italy is government-funded. In England the PFA does it.

"The truth is even if you screened someone every three months, there may be some things that wouldn't get picked up.

"For obvious reasons, in the immediate aftermath of Saturday night, we checked Fabrice's records and he had been screened four times."

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish said he is happy with the amount of times his players are medically screened.

"Our players are scanned every two years," said Dalglish. "Someone coming to the club on a transfer or a young boy at 17 is scanned immediately. I don't know how accurate the screening is for everyone.

"Fabrice was also scanned, I'm led to believe four times, but you're not going to pick up everything up. Maybe he's been a little bit unfortunate."

Muamba was rushed to the intensive care unit of the heart attack centre at the London Chest Hospital immediately after receiving first aid following his collapse in the 42nd minute of Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final.

This contrasted with what Jose Mourinho claimed happened with Cech six years ago.

The then Chelsea manager argued that it took 30 minutes for an ambulance to arrive and treat the goalkeeper.

A South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust spokesman countered the Portuguese's statement, telling BBC Radio 5 live that it took seven minutes.

But Chelsea made an official complaint that led to a Premier League and Football Association review.

That review prompted the introduction of a number of measures, notably ensuring an ambulance is in place at grounds for the exclusive use of players and that club doctors attend every game.

"We are looking at every aspect of what happened and if there are ways and means of improving," said Scudamore on Tuesday. "Incidents and events shape policy, shape developments, shape progress.

"Jose Mourinho made some strident comments about the treatment that Petr Cech got. Everything that we've put in place since helped Fabrice at least have a chance."

Muamba's condition has been downgraded from "critical" to "serious" by doctors at the London Chest Hospital, where he spent a "comfortable" night in intensive care on Monday.