Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay to undergo heart surgery for benign arrhythmia

Medical diagnosis and procedure

Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay will undergo a surgical heart procedure in the coming days after medical examinations identified a minor, benign cardiac arrhythmia. An arrhythmia occurs when the heart beats too quickly, too slowly, or with an irregular rhythm. The 29-year-old Scottish international was substituted during the second half of Napoli's 2-1 Serie A defeat against Como on Sunday before undergoing club medical investigations. Napoli announced that the issue developed recently and does not pose a danger to his overall health. McTominay will undergo pulsed field ablation, a modern minimally invasive surgical technique designed to correct the heart rhythm disorder permanently. The procedure uses high-intensity electrical pulses to neutralize cardiac tissue responsible for transmitting abnormal electrical signals without damaging surrounding heart structures to the same degree. Pulsed field ablation has seen broader medical adoption due to its favorable safety profile and rapid recovery time.

Following the development of a minor, benign arrhythmia, Scott McTominay over the coming days will undergo an operation a PFA (pulsed field ablation).

Absence from Napoli fixtures

Napoli confirmed that McTominay will remain sidelined for approximately one month and is expected to return after the first international break in October. This recovery timeline directly impacts the club's domestic and European fixtures throughout September. In Serie A, McTominay will miss upcoming league matches, beginning with the meeting against defending champions Inter Milan, who are managed by Cristian Chivu, on Saturday, 5 September. Napoli started their league campaign with one victory and one defeat across their opening two games. McTominay will also miss the opening fixture of the UEFA Champions League League Phase, in which Napoli hosts last season's tournament finalists Arsenal. Club officials anticipate that the midfielder will return to normal availability once the corrective intervention and post-operative monitoring are complete.

Nations League matches for Scotland

The recovery timeline will also keep McTominay out of Scotland's upcoming international fixtures. Scotland is scheduled to play four UEFA Nations League matches between 26 September and 6 October, all of which McTominay will miss. The national team schedule includes home and away fixtures against Slovenia, as well as single matches against Switzerland and North Macedonia. These fixtures mark the first four competitive games under new Scotland head coach Sebastien Pocognoli. McTominay previously represented Scotland at the 2026 World Cup tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, where the Scottish team was eliminated in the group phase.

Career trajectory and football precedents

McTominay moved to Napoli in the summer of 2024 following a seven-year spell with Manchester United. During his debut season in Italian football, he helped Napoli secure the 2024–2025 Serie A title, earned the Serie A Most Valuable Player award, and was shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or. Medical precedents for cardiac ablation among professional footballers indicate that players routinely return to competition within a month. Similar heart rhythm issues and successful ablation treatments were previously recorded for players such as Stephan Lichtsteiner, Sami Khedira, and Abel Hernández, all of whom resumed their playing careers following the procedure.