Napoli Provide Scott McTominay Update After Heart Procedure

The Scotland midfielder was recently diagnosed with a benign arrhythmia.

Scott McTominay is currently sidelined. | Ivan Romano/Getty Images

Scott McTominay underwent a surgical procedure on his heart on Tuesday, described by Napoli as a “complete success” in a club statement.

The Scotland international traveled home to Manchester to have pulsed field ablation (PFA), after being diagnosed with a benign arrhythmia earlier this month.

The operation was not major surgery and is minimally invasive thanks to cutting edge medical technology that targets malfunctioning cells in the heart with electrical pulses. The idea is to stop the heart from either beating too fast, too slow or irregularly.

McTominay, who last played when Napoli lost to Como in Serie A on Aug. 30, was initially expected to return to the field after the upcoming international break and that timeframe appears to still be accurate now that he has been treated and is recovering.

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McTominay Told to Rest

McTominay was generally healthy before. | Image Photo Agency/Getty Images

Napoli say “two weeks” for rest before McTominay is back training.

Having already missed the dramatic 3–2 defeat to Serie A champions and title rivals Inter Milan last weekend, McTominay will sit out further matches against Arsenal, Bologna and Fiorentina.

His return to the training pitch will come in the last week of September, once club soccer takes a pause for the first international break of the new season. A call-up to Scotland’s camp is unlikely in the circumstances, leaving McTominay to stay in Italy and work on rebuilding his fitness.

Due to a revision of FIFA’s calendar, the usual September and October international breaks have been melded into one, making this a longer pause than usual. One day shy of three weeks separates Napoli’s last match prior (Fiorentina, Sept. 20) and first match after (Frosinone, Oct. 10).

McTominay, who played every minute of Scotland’s 2026 World Cup campaign, will sit out his country’s four scheduled fixtures against Slovenia, Switzerland, North Macedonia and Slovenia again as UEFA Nations League B begins.

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Napoli Need McTominay Fully Healthy

Napoli have lost two Serie A matches in a row. | Matteo Ciambelli/DeFodi Images/Getty Images

McTominay is in the third season of his Napoli career, having joined from boyhood club Manchester United in 2024. He was named Serie A Footballer of the Year in his debut campaign, scoring the league-winning goal as Napoli narrowly beat Inter to the championship.

Overall, the switch to Italy has revolutionized McTominay, often harshly judged in England. Even a slight comedown in 2025–26 still produced 10 Serie A goals, while 14 in all competitions made it the most prolific season of the impactful midfielder’s career.

He hadn’t got off the mark by the time his mild heart condition was discovered this season, but McTominay will be crucial if Napoli are to overcome a poor start that has seen the team now led by six-time scudetto winner Massimiliano Allegri lose two of the first three league matches.

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