Goalkeeper Jesus Owono will be the one who decides if and when he returns to football following the death of Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel, FC Andorra coach Carles Manso said Thursday.
De Miguel died aged 30 last week as a result of a sickening collision with Equatorial Guinea international Owono, who was trying to clear an aerial ball, in a Spanish second division match on November 2.
The 25-year-old said he was going through the "worst days of my life" after De Miguel's death in hospital the following morning.
"(We're giving him) the space to feel completely free to make any decision -- to want to come back, not want to come back -- whenever he considers it appropriate and when he truly feels ready to make such a decision," Manso told reporters.
FC Andorra visit Almeria on Saturday in their first match since the incident, but Owono has not trained with his team-mates and is set to face a ban from the Spanish football federation after being sent off for the foul.
Spanish police sources told AFP an investigation into what happened had been opened last week, under judicial supervision, which is standard practice in such cases.
"(Owono is) deeply affected by the situation and obviously had no intention of the outcome that followed the collision, which in the end is a tragedy he unfortunately has to live with," continued Manso.
"We're trying to respect his privacy and the process he's going through right now in such a difficult situation."
On Saturday Tenerife fans and players gathered at the club's stadium for a memorial and farewell to De Miguel.
His funeral took place last Thursday and around 400 mourners attended, including Spain coach Luis de la Fuente and Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.
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