Luton Town captain Tom Lockyer has made a remarkable return to training with the club, eight months after suffering a cardiac arrest during a Premier League match. The 29-year-old defender’s heart stopped for over two-and-a-half minutes in a game against Bournemouth in December, a devastating incident that led to the match being abandoned.
This was not the first time Lockyer had faced a health scare on the pitch, having also collapsed at Wembley during Luton’s Championship playoff victory last May. At the end of last season, the Wales international had admitted he was “at peace” with potentially having to retire should doctors advise him to do so in the wake of the cardiac arrest.
However, a return to professional football has not been ruled out, and Lockyer was seen running at the club’s training ground this week as he begins the next phase of his rehabilitation. In a statement, Luton welcomed their captain back, saying “Tom has been under the guidance and care of leading consultants in London and Amsterdam, where he has been completing the most recent phase of his rehabilitation at a specialist clinic.”
The club added that for now, Lockyer will work individually at their training base, “but his very presence around the training ground will be welcomed by all of his team-mates, manager Rob Edwards and the coaching staff.” Lockyer will also continue his work with the British Heart Foundation, using his platform to spread awareness about the importance of CPR and defibrillators.
Lockyer has been fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) device to regulate his abnormal heart rhythm, similar to the treatment received by Manchester United’s Christian Eriksen after his own cardiac arrest. The Luton skipper has visited the same cardiologist, Professor Sanjay Shah, who helped Eriksen make his remarkable comeback.
In May, Lockyer acknowledged that the decision on whether he can play again is ultimately out of his hands. However, he remains hopeful, stating “I would love to play again, I’ve made no secret in saying that but it would have to be done safely.” With his determination and the care of leading medical experts, Lockyer’s resilient comeback gives hope that he may one day grace the football pitch once more.
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