McTominay says he had heart procedure two days before Scotland’s World Cup opener

Scott McTominay says he underwent a procedure to correct an irregular heartbeat two days before Scotland’s opening match at the World Cup in June, but was cleared to play in the 1-0 win over Haiti.

The Napoli midfielder, 29, said he was put to sleep for the treatment. “I had to go and get the shock on my heart,” he told BBC Sport, describing the timing as “not ideal”. He also played the full 90 minutes in Scotland’s defeats by Morocco and Brazil.

McTominay recently had an ablation procedure in Manchester to correct irregular heart rhythms. He said it had gone well and that he was feeling “much, much better”. He described it as a relatively straightforward procedure and said he was happy to be playing again.

He missed Scotland’s first four Nations League matches but has returned to action for Napoli in domestic and Champions League football. McTominay has been recalled to the Scotland squad for Friday’s home match against North Macedonia and Monday’s trip to Switzerland.