Tom Lockyer has been called up for Wales with the national coach Rob Page hailing the Luton defender’s recovery after he collapsed during the Championship play-off final at Wembley in May.
The Town centre half was taken to hospital after suffering an atrial fibrillation, which is a condition that caused him to have an abnormally fast heart rate.
The 28-year-old required surgery and missed the Hatters’ celebrations at winning a place in the Premier League, but he was given the all-clear and has since been named club captain, leading the team out for their first two games in the top-flight since 1992.
Lockyer has now been selected by Wales for their upcoming matches against at home to Korea Republic (September 7) and away to Latvia (September 11) next month.
The latter is a Euro 2024 qualifying match, with Wales sitting second bottom of Group D following defeats to Turkey and Armenia in June.
Asked about Lockyer’s inclusion in his squad, Page said:“Incredible, isn’t it? It’s a great story. We all watched the events unfold in the play-off final and were all concerned. It’s been nothing but positivity since that day.
“He’s had some great news, back to normal and now playing in the Premier League, which is unbelievable for him as well.
“It’s always going to be a challenge when you get promoted to the Premier League. I think the club itself, in Luton, have done really well to be where they’re at, with the resources that they’ve got available to them.
“But, for him, personally, he should be very proud with how he’s recovered after it. He said a dream of his was to play in the Premier League and he’s now achieved that.”
Asked if he thought he’d see Lockyer in a Wales shirt again after his collapse, Page said: “It was the uncertainty surrounding it. I think we all watched it live, I certainly watched it live and tried to rewind it a couple of times to see what actually happened.
“Because of the manner in which it took place, it was a little bit worrying, but thankfully everything’s back to normal for him.
“The good thing for us now, we’ve got a centre-back who’s playing in the Premier League week in, week out.”
