How Manchester United ace Christian Eriksen played a role in Luton captain's football return

Luton Town captain Tom Lockyer has admitted that a pep talk from Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen's cardiologist reassured him he could still play in the Premier League.

The centre-back, 28, collapsed eight minutes into the Championship play-off final at Wembley in May because of an atrial fibrillation, which causes an irregular - or unusually fast - heart rate. He then watched their penalty shootout triumph over Coventry City from a hospital bed surrounded by his family.

He spent five days in hospital and underwent a small procedure to make sure that the issue does not repeat itself in the future. However, it was only once he had a discussion with consultant Sanjay Sharma, who oversaw Eriksen's return to football after he suffered a cardiac arrest at the rearranged European Championship in June 2021, that the defender's path to a return looked clearer.

Lockyer has featured prominently for Luton during pre-season and he is poised to make his Premier League debut when the Hatters face Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

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Lockyer, as quoted by the Mirror, said: "I think I was out for about two minutes, and it was weird because when I came round I felt fine, no pains or anything like that.

"The physio was saying to me, 'Locks, can you hear me?' and I was like, 'Yeah, what's up?' He said, 'You're coming off' and I wasn't having any of it. It was only when he told me I had collapsed on the pitch when I thought, 'Why am I on the floor?'

"I couldn't shake the feeling of