Luton Town head coach Rob Edwards has said that it has "been a difficult week for everyone" due to the shock of Tom Lockyer's collapse during last weekend's Premier League clash with Bournemouth.
The 29-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest in the second half of the contest at the Vitality Stadium, which led to him immediately being taken to hospital.
The match was postponed, but there were positive updates on Lockyer's condition as the afternoon unfolded, and it was revealed on Thursday that he had been discharged from hospital to continue his recovery at home.
Luton are now preparing to return to the field against Newcastle United on Saturday, and Edwards has admitted that it has been an emotional week due to the events that occurred.
The Hatters head coach also said that the current focus is on Lockyer's recovery, and he could not provide an update on what the future would hold after the defender had an ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator) fitted.
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"It's been a difficult week for everyone. His family have been the main concern all week and then it's the players and staff that have been affected," Edwards told reporters ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash with Newcastle.
"All that matters is that he's come through and he's home. It is about him recovering, it is all we care about. Supporting the operation with the ICD being fitted, then we will see going forward what this means.
"I need to say thank you to everyone at Bournemouth, a special mention to Phillip Billing who reacted quickly. We'll have a special bond with the club going forward.
"We already had a plan to have a few days off after the game, so we've stuck to that plan. We spoke about what he [Tom Lockyer] means to us and we want to embody that as a team. If we can all act, behave play like Tom going forward, we'll be going the right way."
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The Luton captain also collapsed as a result of heart trouble during the Championship playoff final at Wembley earlier this year, which led to him undergoing an operation.
An atrial fibrillation, which causes an irregular heart rate, was the problem on that occasion, but Luton have said that it was not related to the cardiac arrest that he suffered on the field at Bournemouth.
Lockyer came through the youth system at Cardiff City and Bristol Rovers, representing the latter's first team on 285 occasions ahead of a switch to Charlton Athletic in 2020.
The Wales international made 43 appearances for Charlton during the 2019-20 campaign before arriving at Luton, and he has turned out for the Hatters 117 times, including 15 appearances this term.
Matt Law
