midfielder

Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay has returned to training at Napoli following his recent heart surgery.

The 29-year-old’s ablation procedure – a minimally invasive operation to correct irregular heart rhythms – took place in Manchester last month and was described as “a complete success”.

And Napoli said: “On Wednesday, Scott McTominay underwent further diagnostic tests, which showed that he is fit to play.

“The Napoli player therefore resumed training with the rest of the team after the period spent training separately.”

McTominay was substituted after 56 minutes of Napoli’s 2-1 Serie A defeat by Como in August. A mild benign arrhythmia was discovered, prompting the corrective treatment.

According to the NHS,, external an arrhythmia is when the heart beats too quickly or too slowly, or the heartbeat is not steady.

The British Heart Foundation explains, external that a cardiac arrhythmia ablation involves using heat or cold energy to create tiny scars in the heart to block faulty signals and restore a typical heartbeat.

During his absence, McTominay missed four Scotland fixtures, including Tuesday’s Nations League defeat by Slovenia.

The Scots’ next games are against Switzerland and North Macedonia in November.

Declan Rice is close to agreeing a new long-term Arsenal contract, sources have told BBC Sport.

The England midfielder has become a crucial player for the Gunners since his arrival from West Ham for £105m in July 2023.

His current deal expires at the end of next season but BBC Sport revealed in March that talks over a new contract were under way with the process now at an advanced stage.

The 27-year-old has made 165 appearances for Arsenal and helped the club end their 22-year wait for a Premier League title last term.

Rice would receive a significant increase to his reported £240,000-per-week salary, putting him on a par with the club’s best earner Bukayo Saka, who is believed to be paid about £350,000 a week.

While Rice withdrew from Thomas Tuchel’s England squad before the recent three-week camp, he has amassed 80 caps since switching his international allegiance from the Republic of Ireland in 2019.

Tuchel has also previously lauded him one of the “best midfielders in Europe”.

Rice is expected to be involved for Arsenal when they host Leeds in the English top flight on Saturday (12:30 BST).

The news comes after Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s new four-year deal with the Premier League champions was announced on Wednesday.