Tom Lockyer says he'll be fit to resume his playing career after undergoing heart surgery in the wake of his collapse in the recent Championship play-off final at Wembley.
The Luton Town skipper went down unchallenged within the opening 10 minutes of the clash with Coventry City, and had to be carried off on a stretcher after receiving attention from both sets of medical teams.
The nature of the problem wasn't initially clear, but it's since emerged that the 28-year-old suffered an atrial fibrillation, a condition that can cause an irregular or abnormally fast heart rate.
Lockyer was rushed to hospital after leaving the field and has since has surgery to address the problem, adding he has now been given the all-clear.
"I've had the operation to fix it and it shouldn't happen again," he told the BBC.
"There's not really any reason to say why that happened.
"I've been given the all-clear - it is what it is and I just want to draw a line under it now and move on.
"I've had my full heart checked and double checked with all the scans and tests they can do on a heart, and they've all come back positive."
Recounting the incident, he added: "I remember running backwards and then I went really light-headed and my legs went really weak straight away, as I was running back. I remember stumbling back and then all I remember was [physiotherapist] Chris Phillips over the top of me, and he was saying 'Locks, you're coming off'.
"I was like 'no mate, no mate, I'm fine', but he was saying 'no, it's serious Locks, you've collapsed. You're coming off'. Then it dawned on me that I was on the floor and this is actually serious.
"I just got really emotional. I couldn't stop crying on the floor."
The Hatters went on to seal their place in the Premier League by going on to win the game on penalties, with Lockyer watching on from his hospital bed.
He was pictured celebrating the win on social media, but he admits he had conflicting emotions on seeing his team-mates complete the job.
"I was obviously delighted but so sad at the same time that after 50-odd games in a season, it all comes down to this one massive game and I don't play a part in it - and I don't get to enjoy the celebrations afterwards.
"So it was a hard watch if I'm being honest, but I'm so delighted that the lads could get the job done. It made it so much better for me."
