Scott McTominay has disclosed that he required a procedure to reset his heart's beat just two days prior to Scotland's World Cup campaign commencing in June. The official explanation from the Scottish Football Association at the time, as Scotland prepared for their opening game against Haiti in Boston, was that McTominay was suffering from a sickness bug.
However, McTominay revealed that after the squad had traveled from their training base in Charlotte, he was taken directly from the airport to a hospital under a police escort. The 29-year-old midfielder underwent the heart procedure before participating in all three of Scotland's group stage matches. He subsequently underwent corrective surgery at the beginning of the current season, which caused him to miss Scotland's initial four Nations League fixtures.
Speaking for the first time about his health issues, McTominay, who is now back in the Scotland squad for upcoming matches against North Macedonia and Switzerland, described the experience. "I had to go and get the shock on my heart," McTominay stated. "It was two days before the Haiti game. You've prepared so well. I was in such good condition and then something like that happens. You're thinking, 'how is this happening to me?'"
He added, "You have to get on with it, that's the cards that you're dealt in football. Sometimes, things don't go your way. I was 100% [fit], but obviously, whenever you're sat in a hospital bed two days before the first game of the World Cup about to get put to sleep, it's not ideal, is it?"