Napoli have announced that Scott McTominay will undergo a minor heart procedure in the coming days after doctors found what the club described as a mild benign arrhythmia.
The 29-year-old came off after 56 minutes of Sunday's 2-1 Serie A defeat at Como. At the time it looked like a routine substitution.
What the procedure involves
Napoli say McTominay will have cardiac arrhythmia ablation. According to the British Heart Foundation, that means using heat or cold energy to create very small scars inside the heart, which block the faulty electrical signals causing the irregular rhythm.
An arrhythmia, as the NHS describes it, is simply a heart that beats too fast, too slowly, or without a steady rhythm. The word "benign" in Napoli's statement is doing a lot of work here, and it is the important part.
The club expects him back in training and available after the October international break.
"I won't take long"
McTominay posted on Instagram shortly after the announcement: "See you soon Napoli. I won't take long."
Which is about as McTominay a response as it is possible to give.
A bad break for Pocognoli
The timing hurts Scotland more than it hurts Napoli. Sebastien Pocognoli has just taken the national team job and his first four matches - Slovenia home and away, North Macedonia and Switzerland in the Nations League - will almost certainly happen without his best midfielder.
McTominay has been Scotland's most reliable source of goals from midfield for years. Replacing that in a new manager's opening window, against opposition of that quality, is not a small ask.
He should be back for the next set of fixtures in the autumn. For now the only thing that matters is a straightforward procedure and a clean recovery.
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