A TEENAGE footballer prompted to go for a heart scan following Premier League player Fabrice Muamba’s cardiac arrest has undergone successful surgery after doctors found a defect.

Scans showed Burnley defender Jack Errington, 17, who started his career at Wallsend Boys Club, had an enlarged aorta when he went to get checked out following Muamba’s shock collapse.

After a six-hour operation at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital, the young player is making a strong recovery and his spirits were lifted when his football hero Alan Shearer paid a visit to his bedside.

Former England and Newcastle United star Shearer said: “It’s an incredible story, as he was just tested after what happened to Fabrice Muamba. He actually said to me when they gave him his results he thought they were joking.

“Now he’s had the operation, he’s back on the mend and, hopefully, he’ll be back playing professional football in a few months’ time.

“It shows that a little good has come out of Muamba’s situation, which was unfortunate for Fabrice but, in a way, he’s helped someone else.”

Like Shearer, Jack, who plays in the Championship with Burnley, graduated from the famous Wallsend Boys Club.

He said: “I was really shocked because at first they said it wasn’t too bad but something could happen in 20 years and, since I was a footballer, I had to get it done as soon as possible.”

Former England captain Shearer was visiting the hospital after being made patron of the specialist Children’s Heart Unit.

He said: “I’m very honoured and very privileged that they asked me to get involved in such a magnificent cause, and what they do here is incredible.”