McTominay says he had heart procedure two days before Scotland’s World Cup win
Scott McTominay, 29, said he underwent an ablation in Manchester two days before Scotland's 1-0 World Cup victory over Haiti in Massachusetts in June and was given the all-clear to play.
The Napoli midfielder described the operation as a minimally invasive procedure to correct irregular heart rhythms and said he was put to sleep as part of the treatment. He returned to feature for Scotland at the tournament, playing 90 minutes in the defeats to Morocco and Brazil. McTominay is a former Manchester United player.
McTominay said: "I had to go and get the shock on my heart." He added: "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?'"
He continued: "You have to get on with it, that's the cards that you're dealt in football. Sometimes, things don't go your way." McTominay also said: "I was 100% [fit], 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?"
McTominay praised his club and the medical staff who treated him in the autumn and said the procedure "went really, really well in Manchester." He missed Scotland's opening four Nations League fixtures - a win, a draw and two defeats - but has been recalled to the squad after returning to domestic and Champions League action with Napoli.
"Yeah, I'm good," said McTominay. "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."
McTominay 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. So just really happy to be back and playing football again. That's the most important thing in my life and it always will be in terms of wanting to come back and prove myself again and making sure that I can go to another level."
McTominay added: "For me, it's always about coming back stronger. No matter how well you play in one game, it's about the next game and pushing yourself and recovering well and eating the right things, sleeping correctly throughout your career." Sebastien Pocognoli's side host North Macedonia on Friday and visit Switzerland on Monday.
