Alex McCarthy says doctors advised him to retire over heart problem

Alex McCarthy says doctors advised him to retire after tests found a heart problem during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 36-year-old former England goalkeeper, now at Leicester City, said he had no symptoms.

He was playing for Southampton when doctors found the issue and initially said he should stop playing and have a defibrillator fitted.

McCarthy sought a second opinion in London, where a specialist performed a procedure called an ablation to treat the problem.

Doctors also placed a monitoring device in his chest, and he was later cleared to play again.

The procedure let him continue his career after he had missed several months of football.

He remains active in the game, though the sources give no further details about his condition or treatment.