'I literally died': Tom Lockyer reveals his heart stopped for more than two minutes as Luton defender opens up about terrifying cardiac arrest

Tom Lockyer said he “literally died” on the field after going into cardiac arrest in December.

He London advocate fell to the ground outside the ball against Bournemouth before doctors rushed to the field to treat him.

Hatters boss Rob Edwards spotted in torrents of tears after the game was abandoned, as Lockyer was taken to hospital.

That same night it was confirmed that he was stable and, fortunately, had been revived.

The Welsh spoke publicly for the first time on New Year's Eve, but has now summarized his experience of his collapse in detail.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Lockyer said: “I'm doing well, really. I'm very lucky to be here and in such a good mood, but I'm doing very well.

“I was running to the halfway line and I got really dizzy, thinking everything would be fine in a second. I wasn't and I woke up to paramedics everywhere.

“It happened in May but I knew instantly that this time was different, last time I woke up almost like a dream and this time I woke up out of nowhere.

“I could see immediately, the paramedics, physiotherapists, club doctors, there was more panic, I couldn't speak, I couldn't move, trying to understand what was happening.

“While that was happening, I remember thinking, 'I could be dying here.'

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“It's a surreal thought to have been thinking that and not be able to move or respond, and you could see the panic. I could feel a drip going down my arm.

“Once I regained consciousness it was a relief, I am alive and fortunately it happened where it happened, I was living it and my family almost had it worse than me.

“After what happened in May, I have a recording device and I was out for 2 minutes and 40 seconds, and I had to have a defibrillator to shock me back and many thanks to the paramedics, the club doctors and everyone involved , since without them I wouldn't do it. to be standing here.”

“The hardest thing for my family was having to see that. They had it worse than me. My father was there (at the game) and my girlfriend was seven months pregnant at the time.

“My mother was at home listening to the radio. She went to make a cup of tea after the Bournemouth goal, and when she came back my brother had turned off the radio. She asked 'why' and he had to tell her that Tom is back lose the ball.

“This is the bigger picture that people don't see and that's the hardest part to deal with. I'm not going to lie, it's been a tough couple of months.

“I don't know if I've processed what happened. I don't know if it'll come back and bite me in the ass, but I haven't had any emotion since what happened. I literally died, but I've been numb to everything since then.”

Lockyer returned to play later his first collapse in the championship play-off final last year.

However, he could not confirm whether he will return this time and admitted that the decision will be out of his hands.

“To some extent, my hands are dictated by the medical staff and specialists,” he explained.

“What I would say is that if there is the possibility of playing again (I will not do anything against the recommendations of the specialists), then I would love to do it.

“It's too early to say at this point that a lot more testing needs to be done in the background, but I wouldn't rule it out at this point. But my priority is my baby.”

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Lockyer is not the first player to suffer cardiac arrest on the field and has spoken to other survivors. Christian Eriksen, Blind Daley and Charlie Wyke since the incident.

He revealed that he had received advice from the trio, who told him to take his time before making a decision on what to do next.

He said: “I wish I could tell you (why) because ever since I looked back I thought it could be this or that, but it was just a normal day and the most worrying thing is that I felt completely fine.

“Like I said, I've been searching and searching for answers. It was just another day at the office and everything was going well until what happened happened.

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“I spoke to Eriksen, Daly Blind and Charlie Wyke, who all had similar heart conditions and one thing similar about all of them was that they took their time to process what happened.

“I don't know if I've processed it, but maybe because we, as athletes, are able to deal with things differently and compartmentalize.

“I know I literally died, but I've been pretty numb to the whole thing ever since.

“The common thing about them was to take their time with things and do the right thing by you and your family, the baby will be born soon and that is my priority.”