McTominay reassures Napoli fans he is 'fine' ahead of planned heart surgery

Scott McTominay moved to calm concerns on Wednesday night after Napoli confirmed the Scotland midfielder will undergo corrective heart surgery in the coming days, with the 29-year-old insisting the procedure had been in the pipeline since pre-season.

Napoli released a statement on Tuesday explaining that McTominay would have a cardiac arrhythmia ablation — a procedure used to treat an irregular heartbeat — describing the condition as “a mild benign arrhythmia.” The club added he would be available again after the international break.

Speaking at the Gran Gala Del Calcio, the Italian equivalent of the PFA Awards, McTominay sought to reassure supporters. “I’m fine, the procedure was something I’d planned to do with the club for quite a while,” he told reporters. “We’d already talked about it in pre-season. I’ll be out for a few weeks.”

The midfielder joined Napoli from Manchester United for £25 million in 2024 and has since established himself as one of Serie A’s standout players, scoring 27 goals in 82 appearances and helping the club win the title in 2024/25. He was named Serie A player of the year for that debut campaign.

McTominay had started both of Napoli’s opening fixtures this season — a 2-0 win over Genoa and a 2-1 defeat to Cesc Fàbregas’ Como — before the surgery was confirmed. Manager Max Allegri had also noted separately that the midfielder had been managing blister problems in training.

His absence will be felt over the coming weeks. Napoli face Inter Milan on Saturday before a Champions League tie against Premier League champions Arsenal, with further Serie A games against Bologna and Fiorentina to follow.

With two years remaining on his contract, McTominay was also asked about a possible extension. “There haven’t been any new talks,” he said. “The important thing is what happens on the pitch, not the contract extension. I don’t know when it will happen — it’s not the time to be thinking about that.”