“I’m out of contract [in the summer] at Luton, so who knows what’ll happen there. I’ll do my games, and if I get through then I’ll just see what happens.

“I’m not concerned either way. The way I see it, any moment I get to spend back on a football pitch I’m going to cherish so much, and I hope there’s plenty of them.”

Lockyer has worked closely with the cardiologist of Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen – who collapsed during Denmark’s Euro 2020 contest with Finland after suffering a cardiac arrest – in Amsterdam during his recovery.

But the Cardiff-born defender has required ankle surgery on two occasions in recent months which has prolonged his spell on the sidelines.

“It’s been a long six months,” he said.

“I had to do three more games for my heart rehab to get signed off to play again.

“I was due to do my first one of them back in early December and two days before that, in training, I cleared a ball.”

Lockyer, who played over 250 games for Bristol Rovers at the start of his career, said as he landed he heard a “massive pop” in his ankle.

“That had snapped my deltoid ligament so they said I needed an operation, and that would be three months out,” he added.

“I got to two months after that operation and they said ‘it hasn’t worked properly so you have to have it redone’. I’ve had it redone and that’s been another three months.

“When it rains, it pours. It’s been a long old time but I’m looking up now.”