Scott McTominay reveals heart treatment two days before Scotland’s World Cup opener

Scott McTominay has disclosed that he needed treatment for an irregular heartbeat just two days before Scotland began their World Cup campaign in June. According to BBC Sport Scotland, the Napoli midfielder was put to sleep for the treatment and subsequently received medical clearance to play against Haiti, a match Scotland won 1-0 in Massachusetts.

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The 29-year-old described the shock of facing a hospital procedure so close to a tournament for which he felt thoroughly prepared. In comments reported by the BBC’s Kheredine Idessane, McTominay said he had considered himself fully fit before the episode. He went on to play against Haiti and completed 90 minutes in each of Scotland’s subsequent defeats by Morocco and Brazil.

His account of the World Cup treatment follows a more recent ablation procedure in Manchester to address irregular heart rhythms. BBC Sport described that operation as minimally invasive. McTominay said the procedure had gone well and that he now felt considerably better, while acknowledging that a heart-related medical issue had understandably prompted concern among his family and friends.

McTominay also praised Napoli and the medical staff involved in his autumn treatment. He described the procedure as relatively straightforward and necessary, and expressed his happiness at being able to play football again. His comments focused on his own recovery and return to the game, with the midfielder saying he wanted to push himself further after the interruption to his season.

He missed Scotland’s first four Nations League matches, during which the team recorded one victory, one draw and two defeats. Having resumed both domestic and European football with Napoli, he has now been recalled to the national squad. Sebastien Pocognoli’s side are scheduled to host North Macedonia on Friday before travelling to Switzerland for Monday’s fixture.

For McTominay, the return brings his attention back to performance and preparation. He said his ambition was to come back stronger, stressing the importance of recovery, nutrition and sleep alongside the work of playing well. Rather than dwelling on an individual performance, he described his approach as concentrating on the next match and maintaining those habits throughout his career.