Michael Schumacher's manager slams German magazine, says recovery claims not true

New Delhi: Michael Schumacher's long-time manager Sabine Kehm slammed reports which said that the F1 legend has made a spectacular recovery and is able to walk back again.

Kehm accused German magazine Bunte of raising “false hopes” with its report of Schumacher’s recovery.

"Michael is very thin. But he can walk again with a little help from his therapist,” the magazine quoted an unnamed “confidant” of the racing driver as saying.

The magazine went on to describe the improvement in Schumacher’s condition as a “Christmas miracle”.

According to a report in The Telegraph, Kehm clarified, “Unfortunately, we are forced by a recent press report to clarify that the assertion that Michael could move again is not true."

“Such speculation is irresponsible, because given the seriousness of his injuries, Michael’s privacy is very important for him. Unfortunately they also give false hopes to many people involved.”

Schumacher, a seven-time Formula 1 world champion who is widely regarded as one of the greatest racing drivers of all time, was injured while skiing off-piste with his 14-year-old son in December 2013.

The German suffered serious brain injuries, when he crashed into rocks and the doctors performed two operations to relieve pressure on his brain and remove blood clots in the days following his accident.

Schumacher's family had announced in June that he was no longer in the medically induced coma he was placed in to reduce swelling in his brain.

Schumacher was moved from a Lausanne rehabilitation centre to the extraordinary custom-built clinic in the grounds of his 35 million ($71.5 million) mansion in Gland, on the shores of Switzerland's Lake Geneva.