LUTON, England (AP) — Tom Lockyer, the Premier League player who suffered an onfield cardiac arrest earlier this season, says he is “at peace” with the prospect of having to retire from the sport.
The Luton captain had a defibrillator fitted after collapsing during a game against Bournemouth in December. He had previously collapsed seven months earlier during a game at Wembley Stadium because he suffered atrial fibrillation.
The 29-year-old Lockyer, who recently became a father for the first time, has not given up hope of resuming his playing career. But he accepts that may not be possible.
“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,” Lockyer told BBC Radio Wales.
“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.”
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