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The manager of Luton Town, Rob Edwards has described when Tom Lockyer went into cardiac arrest on the pitch against Bournemouth as the worst day of his life.
Coach Edwards was left with no choice but to run to the pitch as Tom Lockyer fought for his life on the pitch while a medical team attended to him.
The match had to be cancelled due to the 29-year-old Luton captain’s unconsciousness in the second half. After being attended to on the pitch, he was taken off the field on a stretcher and taken straight to the hospital.
“It was the scariest moment I have ever had, never mind in football,” coach Edwards said ahead of Luton Town’s league game against Newcastle United at 5 p.m. on Saturday, December 23.
“The medical guys were incredible. It was a crazy pressurized situation with the world watching and they got every decision bang on. I’m so proud of them. They saved him.
“Our medical guys, Bournemouth’s, the paramedics that were there, they are real heroes.”
Tom Lockyer was discharged from the hospital on Thursday, having received an implanted cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).
An implanted cardiac device, or ICD, is a small, battery-operated device that senses and stops irregular heartbeats. When necessary, electrical shocks are used to start the heart rhythmically again.
Daley Blind, a former Manchester United defender, and Christian Eriksen, a midfielder for the Red Devils, had the device installed recently and are permitted to play football with it.
Lockyer’s cardiac arrest, according to Luton, was not the same as his collapse during the Championship playoff game in May 2023. Lockyer had atrial fibrillation, defined by the NHS as “an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate,” but he was approved to resume playing in the field in June after having heart surgery.
Edwards stated that it is “too early to tell” what effect his most recent heart condition will have on his football career.
“He’s recovering, it’s baby steps now. Anyone will miss him. He’s a leader, he’s an inspirational figure for all of us,” Edwards told a news conference on Friday, December 22.
“It’s too early to tell [on Lockyer’s playing career]. Going forward it’s about Tom recovering. He’s had an operation and then we’ll see going forward what that means.”
Naija News has reported that the abandoned Premier League game between Luton Town and Bournemouth will be restarted in full on a yet-to-be-announced date. Recall that the score was 1-1 before the match was canceled in the 59th minute due to Tom Lockyer’s condition.
– Naija News.
