Former Celtic midfielder Scott Allan has told Hibs TV he thought his career was over after being diagnosed with a heart problem at the age of 29.
Allan returned to Hibernian after a poor spell at Celtic looking to get back to playing but a mystery illness kept him out of the side with the player and the club at the time, rightfully not divulging the extent of the problem.
Scott is on the comeback trail and has felt comfortable enough to let people know what’s been going on with him as of late.
The player describes a heart issue which makes it more difficult for the body to pump blood and get oxygen circulating.
It left him fatigued and unable to play for Hibernian.
“So I feel now is a good time and I feel well within myself to speak about what I went through.
“I was diagnosed with a condition called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. That’s where the walls of the heart chamber become slightly thicker and it makes it hard to pump blood in and out of the heart.
“Relating to the symptoms I felt, which led me to get these tests, it makes you fatigued with less oxygen throughout your body. I was getting dizzy spells – it all kind of integrated together.
“When the professor told me what I had I new that’s why I was suffering from those symptoms.
“The big one was fatigue – I was fatiguing really quickly while I was playing at that moment.
“I really feared I wouldn’t play again. The way I’d been feeling up until I had that test physically and what I could give on a football pitch at that time was really worrying.”
“I’m definitely not back at 100 per cent because I’ve not even been able to get a bounce game.
“But in terms of training fitness and general fitness outside of football it is the best I’m felt.
“I won’t 100 per cent until I’ve had games under my belt. Hopefully that comes soon, but if not I’ll get a pre-season under my belt and I’ll for from there again.
“I want to enjoy playing as much as I can. When you have that doubt that you might not, sometimes you take it for granted. I just want to enjoy every moment of it. I know that’s quite cliché but it’s as true as it gets for me.”
It’s great to hear Scott has worked through this and is ready to play again.
At 29, the midfielder still has plenty of years left in the game.
His time at Celtic didn’t work out, Allan never really got the game time he wanted and was shipped out on loan. Neil Lennon was the man who re-signed the player for Hibernian on a pre-contract just before the Irishman left the club and rejoined Celtic.
We wish Scott the very best going forward.
