Scott McTominay has revealed he underwent treatment for an irregular heartbeat just two days before Scotland began their World Cup campaign in June.
The Napoli midfielder was diagnosed with a “mild benign arrhythmia” and had a minor procedure to correct the condition before returning to action for his club.
McTominay subsequently missed Scotland’s first four matches in Nations League Group B1, from which they collected four points. He is back in the squad for this month’s fixtures against North Macedonia and Switzerland and could make his first appearance under new head coach Sebastien Pocognoli.
Speaking before Friday’s match against North Macedonia at Hampden Park, McTominay said the heart problem had begun affecting him five months earlier.
“I had to go and get the shock on my heart. It was two days before the Haiti game,” said McTominay, who played the full 90 minutes as Scotland opened the World Cup with a 1-0 victory.
“You’ve prepared so well. I was in such a good condition and then something like that happened. You’re thinking, ‘how is this happening to me?’
“You have to get on with it; those are the cards that you’re dealt in football. Sometimes, things don’t go your way.
“I was 100%, and obviously, when 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 was one of four Scotland players to feature for every minute at the World Cup. However, he did not score or provide an assist, created one chance and managed three shots on target from eight attempts.
The 29-year-old has scored five times for Napoli since returning, including three goals in the Champions League. His other two came in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Roma, when he scored twice.
He believes he is now close to his best level again.
“I’m feeling much, much better than I was,” he said. “It was something that needed to be done. In your career, you have moments like that where things can take you by surprise.
“Obviously, it looks a lot worse to people in the media, and family and friends 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, I’m just really happy to be back and playing football again. That’s the most important thing in my life and it always will be.”
Scotland have lost their past two home matches, both in the Nations League. They have not suffered three successive defeats on home soil since September 2018, while they have never previously lost three consecutive competitive home fixtures.
