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SportsNapoli's Scott McTominay to undergo heart surgery for arrhythmia, expected back after international break
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Napoli and Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay, 29, will undergo corrective surgery next week for a mild benign arrhythmia, a condition where the heart beats irregularly. The procedure was announced after he was substituted in the second half of Napoli's 2-1 defeat to Como last weekend. McTominay is expected to return to the pitch after the international break, as confirmed by Napoli and the player himself on Instagram. The Athletic consulted Professor Aneil Malhotra, a consultant sports cardiologist, who explained that heart screening is common in elite football, with one in 250 elite players having serious heart conditions. McTominay's case is not unique; other footballers like Adam Lallana, Colby Bishop, Christian Eriksen, Daley Blind, and Tom Lockyer have returned to play after heart procedures. The article details how heart issues are detected through ECG and echocardiogram screenings, which became standard in English football after the 1995 death of 16-year-old John Marshall.
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Publication date: 2026-09-06 04:12:13
Analysis
Scott McTominay’s Heart Condition: How Common Is It? How Quickly Will He Be Back Playing?
Scott McTominay in action during the Serie A match between Genoa and Napoli in August. (Simone Arveda/Getty Images)
By Jordan Campbell Sept. 6, 2026 12:12 am EDT | Updated
Napoli and Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay is set to undergo a minor heart procedure next week, which will sideline him for over a month of football.
The 29-year-old was substituted in the second half of last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Como. He requires corrective surgery for a condition that Napoli has confirmed as a mild, benign arrhythmia.
An arrhythmia occurs when the heart beats too quickly, too slowly, or irregularly. McTominay is expected to return to the pitch after the international break.
“See you soon, Napoli. I won’t be long,” he wrote on Instagram after the news was confirmed.
McTominay is not the first active footballer to undergo heart surgery. Former Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana had corrective surgery for an arrhythmia at age 16 and went on to play over 500 senior professional games. Portsmouth striker Colby Bishop returned after open-heart surgery to mitigate a potential risk, while former Brighton and Rangers defender Connor Goldson underwent open-heart surgery for an enlarged aortic root.
What You Should Read Next Colby Bishop on his open-heart surgery: ‘You have to sign a death waiver’ A routine pre-season check revealed a life-threatening issue with the Portsmouth striker's aortic valve. This is his journey back to playing.
Christian Eriksen, Daley Blind, and Tom Lockyer have all returned to play after being fitted with implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) devices. These devices deliver an electric jump-start or reset the heart if it detects a dangerous, life-threatening irregularity.
While McTominay’s condition does not require major surgery, The Athletic spoke to consultant sports cardiologist Professor Aneil Malhotra of Manchester Metropolitan University. He looks after British Cycling and a number of elite sports teams, including Manchester City and Manchester United, for insight into how football identifies and treats players with heart defects.
McTominay in action for Napoli against Como last weekend. (Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)
How Are Heart Issues Detected in Football?
Heart screening is very common in elite sport. The Rugby Football Union (RFU) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) also conduct their own programmes, but English football’s is the most thorough.
In 1995, the death of 16-year-old John Marshall proved to be a line-in-the-sand moment. He suffered a heart attack deriving from an undiagnosed condition known as arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. He was due to sign for Everton the following day, but the tragedy led the PFA to instigate a blanket screening programme for all scholars in English football.
The scheme requires all scholars to undergo both:
- An electrocardiogram (ECG), used to measure the electrical current in the heart and detect irregular rhythms.
- An echocardiogram, which uses ultrasound to create moving, real-time images of the heart’s structure and function.
How Common Are These Conditions?
Professor Malhotra’s research found a higher prevalence of serious heart conditions in elite footballers, with an average of one in every 250 players affected.
Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) conducts screenings on the general population aged 14–35 and found that one in every 300 people has a life-threatening heart condition.
Among footballers:
- One in 50 will have a minor condition.
- According to Professor Malhotra’s findings from studying over 11,000 players, 75% of those diagnosed with a serious condition returned to play after undergoing comprehensive assessments, including curative procedures.
The use of an ECG alone has detection levels of up to 85%. Some studies suggest an even greater rate for what are known as “silent killers,” where the vast majority display no symptoms before cardiac arrest.
Costs vary. Charities such as CRY offer an ECG for £75, while the usual cost is around £150. An echocardiogram is a further expense.
Source
Soccer - The AthleticWestern
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