Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay revealed he underwent heart treatment, including a shock to correct an irregular heartbeat two days before Scotland’s World Cup opener against Haiti, and later had a cardiac ablation procedure in Manchester. He has now returned to the Scotland squad.
Treatment before the World Cup opener
McTominay said he underwent treatment for a heart issue two days before Scotland's opening World Cup match against Haiti in June.
He said: "It was two days before the Haiti game. You've prepared so well. I was in such good condition and then something like that happens. You're thinking, 'how is this happening to me?'"
The former Manchester United player said: "I had to go and get the shock on my heart two days before the Haiti game."
He said he was put to sleep to correct his heartbeat and was given the all-clear to play in Scotland's 1-0 World Cup victory over Haiti in Massachusetts.
McTominay said: "I was 100% , but obviously, whenever you're sat in a hospital bed two days before the first game of the World Cup about to get put to sleep, it's not ideal, is it?"
Cardiac ablation in Manchester
McTominay recently underwent an ablation procedure in Manchester, described as a minimally invasive operation to correct irregular heart rhythms.
The Independent reported that McTominay underwent a cardiac ablation procedure in Manchester in September to deal with what The Independent describes as a mild, benign heart arrhythmia.
Reuters reported that McTominay underwent a minor heart procedure in September, which forced him to miss the last international window.
The Independent reported that the heart issue initially emerged following the Scotland national team's arrival in the United States in early June and affected him again in August while he was competing for Napoli in Italy.
McTominay said: "I'm feeling much, much better than what I was. I feel like it was something that needed to be done. In your career, you have moments like that where things can take you a bit by surprise."
He said: "Obviously, it looks a lot worse to people in the media and family and friends who reach out to you after they see news related to a heart issue, but it's a relatively straightforward procedure, which went really, really well in Manchester."
World Cup appearances and disappointment
McTominay played in Scotland's 1-0 World Cup victory over Haiti in Massachusetts and played 90 minutes in Scotland's World Cup losses to Morocco and Brazil.
He said: "It’s nowhere near an excuse, but it’s something that you have to look back on and say, ‘Well, it’s part of the process’."
He said: "Obviously with the way the World Cup went, it was at least two, three weeks of me sitting there disappointed, not quite with it mentally. I needed time to settle down and have a break."
McTominay said: "After the World Cup, it was probably the most disappointed I’ve ever been in my career."
He added: "I’m always one for a glass half full, but that one took a good couple of weeks to get out of my system."
Return to Napoli and Scotland
McTominay is a Napoli midfielder and a former Manchester United player, and he is 29 years old. He returned to action with Napoli at the start of the season and, after playing their first two Serie A matches, decided surgery was the only option and spent all of September on the sidelines after undergoing a corrective procedure.
Reuters reported that McTominay said he has fully recovered and is delighted to be back with the national team.
McTominay said: "I’m good. I’m feeling much, much better than what I was."
He said: "I’m just really happy to be back playing football again. That’s the most important thing in my life and it always will be."
McTominay is back with the Scotland national team for a Nations League double-header against Macedonia and Switzerland after featuring in all nine of Napoli's matches since the last international break. He missed Scotland's opening four Nations League fixtures, which consisted of a win, a draw and two defeats, as well as Scotland's first four matches under Sebastien Pocognoli.
Scotland are third in Nations League Group B1 with four points from four matches, three points behind Slovenia and eight points behind leaders Switzerland. Reuters reported that Scotland host North Macedonia on November 13 before travelling to Switzerland three days later.
McTominay said: "For me, it's always about coming back stronger."
He said: "You have to get on with it, that's the cards that you're dealt in football. Sometimes, things don't go your way."
