McTominay had heart 'shocked' two days before World Cup

Scott McTominay has revealed he underwent a procedure to have his heart 'shocked' just two days before Scotland's World Cup opener against Haiti. The Napoli midfielder said he had a cardiac ablation in Manchester in September to treat a mild, benign heart arrhythmia, an issue that first surfaced after the squad arrived in the United States in early June and recurred in August while he was back in Italy.

At the time, the Scotland camp said the 29-year-old had missed training due to a stomach complaint, but McTominay has now set the record straight. "I had to go and get the shock on my heart two days before the Haiti game," McTominay said at a press conference at Hampden on Tuesday.

He played all three of Scotland’s matches at the tournament but admitted he struggled, saying it was not ideal being in a hospital bed about to be put to sleep so close to the first game. "After the World Cup, it was probably the most disappointed I’ve ever been in my career," he added.

McTominay reveals the heart electroshock before the Haiti match

McTominay returned to action with Napoli at the start of this season but decided surgery was the only option after playing their first two Serie A matches, subsequently missing all of September. That ruled him out of Scotland’s first four matches under new boss Sebastien Pocognoli, but he is now back with the national team for this month’s Nations League double-header against Macedonia and Switzerland.

"I’m good. I’m feeling much, much better than what I was," McTominay said, describing the procedure as relatively straightforward and expressing his happiness to be back playing football.

Scott McTominay needed police escort for heart procedure 36 hours before Scotland's World Cup opener