A TEENAGER from Prestwich was left in a coma after a suspected anti-Semitic attack at a Metrolink station.

Moshe Fuerst, aged 17, was set upon by a gang of men at Bowker Vale tram stop, off Middleton Road, on Saturday evening.

The brave youngster is now making a steady recovery in hospital from his ordeal, which happened at 11.40pm after a night out in Manchester city centre.

Moshe had been to watch a film at the Printworks cinema with three other Jewish friends — two aged eight 18 and one aged 20.

They took the Bury-bound tram back to Bowker Vale, near Prestwich, where they were approached by a group of three men, who hurled racist abuse and physically assaulted them.

Moshe was punched in the face and kicked to the side of the head.

He suffered a fractured skull and was taken to North Manchester General Hospital before being transferred to a specialist brain injury ward at Salford Royal Hospital.

Shocked father Michael Fuerst described Moshe and his friends as "good boys who would never go looking for trouble".

Mr Fuerst said: "It is a very hard time for the family and we want to focus on Moshe making a full recovery.

"The police are investigating and I hope they catch whoever did this."

Detectives are treating the assault as an anti-Semitic hate crime and appealing to anyone with information to come forward.

Detective Inspector Liam Boden, of the North Manchester police division, said: "I know this will cause upset and anxiety in the Jewish community and I want to offer reassurance that we have launched an investigation to find the people that did this.

"This attack is being treated as a hate crime and I want to send the message that hate crime will not be tolerated and we will do everything we can to stamp it out."

Following the assault, police investigations meant Metrolink services between Manchester and Bury were partially restricted until mid-morning on Monday with Bury-bound passengers unable to get off at Bowker Vale.

Anyone with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

They can also report it via the dedicated hate crime reporting website report-it.org.uk.