For Scott McTominay, it’s Day One; Napoli (and others) are waiting for him
Today is the day of Scott McTominay’s surgery. The Napoli midfielder, after developing a mild, benign arrhythmia—as announced by the club following the match against Como—will undergo a PFA ablation to correct the issue. The procedure is scheduled to take place in England.
Allegri will therefore have to do without the midfielder for several weeks. McTominay has already missed Saturday’s match against Inter and will not be available for upcoming games either. The goal is to have him back on the field after the break.
A more precise timeline for his recovery can only be determined after the procedure. However, some indications had already been provided on Saturday by sporting director Giovanni Manna, who spoke before the Napoli-Inter match. The executive explained that it will take 28 days before he can be cleared to play again, partly because McTominay will need to take blood-thinning medication that is incompatible with competitive play. He will rest for the first two weeks and then gradually resume training, initially avoiding contact.
Specifically, the layoff will force the Scottish midfielder to miss his European debut in the Champions League against Arsenal, scheduled for tomorrow evening at the Maradona Stadium, as well as the subsequent league matches against Bologna, set for September 13, and Fiorentina, scheduled for September 20. McTominay will also be unable to join the Scottish national team, which is competing in the Nations League during this international break. If his recovery proceeds as scheduled, the first match in which he is expected to return to the field will be on Sunday, October 11, against Frosinone at the Maradona Stadium.
The midfielder’s absence was already felt at San Siro, where Napoli suffered its second consecutive league defeat, losing 3-2 to Inter after leading 2-0. The loss has sparked debate, with player ratings in major sports newspapers being rather critical of Allegri, and it leaves the Azzurri stuck on 3 points in the standings. The Livorno-born coach admitted his responsibility in the post-match interview, acknowledging that “perhaps it would have been better if I had made different decisions” in managing the lead.
The loss of McTominay weighs even heavier considering the central role the midfielder, born in 1996, has played in the club’s recent success. A key figure in the league title won during the 2024–2025 season, the Scot had been secured by the Neapolitan management with a contract set to expire in 2028, and in recent weeks there had even been talk of a possible extension through 2029 or 2030. Manna himself had spoken reassuringly about Scott’s future this past spring: “Scott is an important player; he’s happy to be in Naples, and I think he shows that both on the field and in his daily life here. We have an extremely clear and frank relationship with him.”
