Former England striker Jay Bothroyd has opened up on how he feared the Covid vaccine had caused him to have heart surgery.

Bothroyd, who is now a popular pundit on Sky Sports, finished his career in Japan with Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, which is who he was playing for when the Covid pandemic broke out.

Soon after being vaccinated, he had to have heart surgery, and explained how apparent uncertainty around the jab left him unsure where to turn during the 'frightening' ordeal.

Speaking on Piers Morgan’s Football Uncensored podcast, he explained: 'When the Covid injection was all happening and you had to take it, right, there was lots of talk about it afterwards, about Covid and heart conditions.

'I went over there; I had my injections. So, obviously, I went back into Japan; now I'm playing football.

'I played for six months and then, all of a sudden, I developed an irregular heartbeat and I had to have a heart operation, in the last year of my career, and that was frightening.

'You read all the things in the media; you don't know what to believe. All you are is scared, because it is a serious situation.

'It was at a time where everyone was scared, everyone was panicking; wrong information from the very top, people from the very top also breaking laws, breaking rules.

'To tell people they must get a jab, regardless of their beliefs, their faiths and their own research (was) negligent in itself.'

The former forward, who picked up one England cap, was speaking following controversy around Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka, who has admitted to receiving a forged Covid vaccine certificate.

Swiss authorities are investigating the offence, which could see him slapped with a significant fine or up to five years in prison, with Xhaka expected to provide his account to authorities next month.

He says he had a 'deep distrust' of the vaccine and did not use 'proper channels' to obtain his vaccine certificate in 2022, which was not mandatory for players to play in the Premier League but did reduce their quarantine periods after close contact or travel.

Xhaka, 33, was playing for Arsenal at the time, and has admitted the offence in a statement released on Instagram on Monday morning.

'In recent days, there has been much reporting about a matter from my past,' Xhaka said. 'I would like to address this personally.

'Regarding the Covid-19 vaccination, I was personally very uncertain and had serious concerns at the time.

'I felt deep distrust of the vaccine and was plagued by fear and uncertainty.

'In this turbulent emotional state, I obtained a vaccination certificate instead of clarifying my open questions through the proper channels.

'Today I clearly see that this was not the right course of action. It was a mistake. I am sorry.

'I take responsibility for this decision, am committed to investigating the matter, and am fully cooperating with the relevant authorities.'

Xhaka met with Swiss FA chiefs to discuss the matter and they agreed he should sit out their Nations League matches against North Macedonia, Scotland and Slovenia in the current international break.