Tom Lockyer admits he does not know where he will be playing next season as his Luton Town contract expires in the summer.
The Wales defender has not featured for club or country since suffering a cardiac arrest during Luton’s Premier League fixture with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on 16 December 2023.
The incident came just seven months after the centre back collapsed during the early stages of the Hatters’ Championship play-off final victory over Coventry City at Wembley.
After undergoing rigorous return-to-play protocols and regular health checks, Lockyer is now hoping to resume his playing career next season.
But the 30-year-old admits he is unsure of where he will return to playing football during the 2025-26 campaign.
“It’ll be next season, who knows where that’ll be,” he told BBC Radio Bristol’s Having a Gas show.
“I’m out of contract [in the summer] at Luton, so who knows what’ll happen there. I’ll do my games, and if I get through then I’ll just see what happens.
“I’m not concerned either way. The way I see it, any moment I get to spend back on a football pitch I’m going to cherish so much, and I hope there’s plenty of them.”
Lockyer has worked closely with the cardiologist of Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen – who collapsed during Denmark’s Euro 2020 contest with Finland after suffering a cardiac arrest – in Amsterdam during his recovery.
But the Cardiff-born defender has required ankle surgery on two occasions in recent months which has prolonged his spell on the sidelines.
“It’s been a long six months,” he said.
“I had to do three more games for my heart rehab to get signed off to play again.
“I was due to do my first one of them back in early December and two days before that, in training, I cleared a ball.”
Lockyer, who played over 250 games for Bristol Rovers at the start of his career, said as he landed he heard a “massive pop” in his ankle.
“That had snapped my deltoid ligament so they said I needed an operation, and that would be three months out,” he added.
“I got to two months after that operation and they said ‘it hasn’t worked properly so you have to have it redone’. I’ve had it redone and that’s been another three months.
“When it rains, it pours. It’s been a long old time but I’m looking up now.”
Following his second collapse, Lockyer had an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) fitted after being left “technically dead” for nearly three minutes.
Regardless of whether or not he is able to make a return to professional football in the near future, Lockyer says he is determined to remain active.
“I’m such an active guy regardless of whether I’m playing football, my whole life has been sport,” he explained.
“The thought of life without sport just doesn’t work with me, mentally I wouldn’t be able to cope with that.
“I’m still going to be active. If I can be active in the field and that’s fine, why can’t I be active on the football pitch again? As long as it can be done safely, I’ll be looking to do it.”
The Welshman did not rule out a future in coaching after admitting he is determined to keep football in his life.
“I don’t know whether I’d like the stress of being a manager, but I do like the thought of being a coach and being on the grass day to day,” said the centre back.
“I think I’ve got so much to give. I think I see the game, especially defensively, very well and I think I can pass that on to others.
“But I’m not turning my back on football, that’s for sure.”
