McTominay reveals he had heart treatment two days before the World Cup

Scott McTominay has revealed that he had to undergo treatment for an irregular heartbeat just two days before Scotland's opening match at the World Cup.

McTominay, who was diagnosed with a "mild benign arrhythmia" and underwent a minor procedure to correct it, recently returned to action for Napoli. The former Manchester United midfielder missed Scotland's first four matches in Nations League Group B1 during that period.

Recalled to the national squad for the matches against North Macedonia and Switzerland, the midfielder could make his first appearance under head coach Sébastien Pocognoli this month.

Speaking ahead of the North Macedonia match at Hampden Park, McTominay said the heart problem began to affect him five months ago:

"I had to have my heart shocked. That was two days before the Haiti game. I had prepared really well, I was in great shape and then suddenly something like that happened. You think, 'How does this happen to me?' But you have to carry on; those are the cards you are dealt in football. Sometimes things do not go the way you want. I was one hundred per cent ready, and waiting for an anaesthetic in a hospital bed two days before your first match at the World Cup was definitely not ideal."

Despite that, McTominay played the full 90 minutes against Haiti, contributing to Scotland's 1-0 win, and was one of four players to feature in every minute for his country at the tournament.

The midfielder has scored 5 goals for Napoli since his treatment, 3 of them in the Champions League and 2 in the 3-3 draw with Roma.

Saying he is getting close to his previous form, the Scotland international added: "I feel much better than I did before. It was something that had to be done. Sometimes in your career there are moments that catch you unprepared. From the outside, in the media, it looks much more frightening to people; when a story comes out about your heart, your family and friends are on the phone straight away, worried. But it was a relatively simple procedure in Manchester that went very well. I am really happy to be back and playing football again. It is the most important thing in my life and it always will be."

Scotland have lost their last two home matches in the Nations League. They have not lost three home games in a row since September 2018 and have never suffered three successive home defeats in competitive matches.