Scott McTominay undergoes heart surgery as Napoli give return timeline

Scott McTominay has undergone successful surgery on a heart issue, Napoli have confirmed.

McTominay was diagnosed with mild benign arrhythmia, which is an irregular heartbeat.

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A statement from Napoli read: “On Tuesday morning, Scott McTominay underwent an ablation procedure at Spire Manchester Hospital. The operation was a complete success.

McTominay will rest for two weeks and then resume training.”

What is cardiac arrhythmia ablation?

Cardiac arrhythmia ablation is a short procedure that, according to the British Heart Foundation, can last as little as just 15 minutes.

During surgery, a small cut is made on the patient’s groin or wrist, with catheters are then placed inside and moved up to the heart.

The area inside the heart that has caused the arrhythmia is then destroyed by either radiofrequency energy or cryoablation.

This step of the procedure helps to block abnormal electrical signals in the heart.

McTominay played in Napoli’s first two Serie A fixtures this season and was brought off in the 2-1 defeat to Como.

Max Allegri’s side are back in action at home to Arsenal in their Champions League opener on Wednesday, live on talkSPORT 2.

Napoli previously expected McTominay to be out of action until mid-October.

If that is still the case, he would miss Scotland‘s upcoming internationals. Scotland have four fixtures scheduled for the newly extended international break beginning later this month.

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Slovenia, Switzerland and North Macedonia are their Nations League opponents as they begin their Group B1 campaign.

Sebastien Pocognoli will take charge of the side for the first time since being announced as the replacement for Steve Clarke.

The former Belgium and Premier League defender was previously with the Belgian U18s, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and AS Monaco.

Pocognoli has joined a Scotland team that had a miserable World Cup campaign during the summer.

They scored one goal across their three group matches and missed out on the knockout stages.

McTominay played every minute as Scotland returned to the tournament for the first time since 1998.