Napoli rise to eighth as Scotland's Scott McTominay returns

Napoli's 3‑0 victory over Frosinone on Saturday lifted the club to eighth place in Serie A, taking them to ten points from six matches, while Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay made his first appearance since undergoing cardiac ablation surgery in Manchester last month.

Medical comeback and national team absence

McTominay had not featured for Napoli since 30 August, when he was substituted after 56 minutes in a 2‑1 defeat by Como. The appearance marked his first senior outing for the club since that match.

Shortly after the Como game, Napoli announced that the 29‑year‑old would undergo cardiac ablation to correct a mild, benign arrhythmia. The procedure, performed in Manchester, was later described as a complete success.

The operation forced McTominay to miss Scotland’s four Nations League fixtures under new head coach Sebastien Pocognoli. He returned to training with Napoli earlier this week, ready for the domestic resumption.

Match performance and future fixtures

Manager Massimiliano Allegri placed McTominay on the bench for the visit of newly‑promoted Frosinone. With Napoli already two goals ahead at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, the Scotland talisman entered in the 61st minute for David Neres and was greeted by a rousing reception from the home crowd.

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Kevin de Bruyne converted a penalty before Noa Lang added a straightforward finish, giving Napoli a 2‑0 lead at half‑time. Rasmus Hojlund missed a spot‑kick, but De Bruyne struck again in fourth‑minute stoppage time to complete the scoring.

Scotland teammate Billy Gilmour, who started all four recent Nations League matches, also came on as a 72nd‑minute substitute. His cameo added further Scottish presence on the pitch.

Napoli’s win moved them to eighth place in Serie A, with ten points from six matches. McTominay will look to build on his fitness ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League trip to Villarreal in Spain.

The story was reported by Mark Atkinson, Head of Sport Comment, and readers with a Digital subscription can access the full coverage.