Hatters defender Lockyer is 'at peace' if advised to retire early by medical experts

Although he hasn’t ruled out a return to playing again, ​Luton defender Tom Lockyer has made peace at the prospect of not being allowed to on the advice of medical experts.

The popular 29-year-old centre half suffered a cardiac arrest when playing for the Hatters during their Premier League trip to Bournemouth in December 2023. After receiving Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the field, Lockyer has since admitted his heart actually stopped for two minutes and 40 seconds before being brought back to life.

Now a new father, the Welsh international is still exploring the possibilities of being able to put his boots on again, but knows if that isn’t the case, he has had a terrific career. Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, he said: “I've made no secret saying I would love to return to football, but ultimately it would have to come down to someone who's a cardiologist or a specialist who has done full research into what has gone on and if it could happen again, because we've got a little girl now and she takes priority.

"I would love to play football again, of course I would, it’s my life but if it’s the case that I can't, then I’m at peace with that as well. I played for my country, I’ve played in every league and scored in every league from non-league to the Premier League so it’s not the end of the world. I've got my health and that’s the most important thing. I’m taking my time with things. It could take a lot longer than we thought, but we can’t rush these things and if I'm going to come back, it has to be right.

“When it first happened, the thing that was keeping me going was that I was going to be the one to come back and score the winner to keep Luton in the Premier League. That was my goal and pretty quickly that got squished by the physios and the doctor, they said ‘are you silly?’ I was in limbo for a bit as well. I was not playing football and not doing anything else, so I said to my agent, ‘what's the best thing to do here?’.

"So I'm getting my coaching badges done. I’ve done a bit of punditry work as well, which I really like, so the options are there for me. Obviously I'm not looking to do any of them full-time at the minute. I am going to try and focus on getting back on the pitch, but should that not be the case, then I'm sure something else will have my name on it.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Lockyer is currently working with the British Heart Foundation as part of a campaign to try and get at least 270,000 people to learn CPR, an emergency procedure to assist someone who has suffered cardiac arrest. He has joined forces with former Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba and ex-Wigan Athletic striker Charlie Wyke, who both suffered cardiac arrests as well during their careers, in a bid to raise awareness, adding: “It literally is a life saver and I'm living proof of that. I know how important CPR is. It’s why I'm trying to preach as much as possible and that's why I'll keep banging the drum for CPR. I think more people need to learn it.

"People keep putting it off for some reason, I have no idea why. All it takes is 15 minutes to learn it. You can log online on your phone to the British Heart Foundation website which will show you and give you the tools you need to save someone's life. Ultimately, we hope you never have to use it. But should you do have to use it, then at least you know what you're doing.”