In an interview with Open Goal, the former Scotland international striker claimed Lokomotiv Moscow would treat his blood prior to matches during his spell there in 2006-2007. 

"You would get your blood taken out," he said.

"And before the game you’d get it put back in.

"They’d take your blood out, clean it, put it back in, go into the oxygen chamber.

"You felt like a million dollars, ken what I mean?

"See when you were playing, you felt like you could play two 90 minutes."

Responding to O’Connor’s claims, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) told insidethegames: "Blood transfusions are prohibited under Section M1.1 of the Prohibited List and athletes are responsible for making sure that any medical treatment received does not violate anti-doping policies and rules.

"It would be up to the relevant Anti-Doping Organisation to investigate the matter further and to provide its decision at the conclusion of the investigation to WADA and other parties who have a right to appeal."

Lokomotiv Moscow's former doctor, Alexander Yardoshvili, who currently works for Lokomotiv's local rivals Dynamo Moscow, however, denied O'Connor's claims.

"O'Connor is delirious," he said according to the Daily Record.

"For a start, you cannot do this kind of procedure at a club, it would have to be done in a hospital in an operating theatre.

"Honestly, I have no idea where Garry got this from.

"It's fantasy stuff.

"But let's remember he has a lot of health problems he needs to sort out.

"He is an alcoholic and a drug addict and is clearly delusional.

"The methods he talks about are obviously bulls**t.

"This practice is actually used for patients who have no immune system - certainly not in football."

Valery Fillatov, President of the club during part of O'Connor's year-long spell at the club added: "It's an insolent lie.

"Nothing like this has ever happened.

"We did not even know it was possible."

Lokomotiv players have denied the accusations with former Russian international Diniyar Bilyaletdinov saying: "The procedure he is talking about was banned.

"It was some kind of blood cleansing.

"Perhaps he did this individually, but not with the team."

O’Connor, who won the Russian Cup during his spell in Moscow, served a drugs ban for cocaine while he was playing for Birmingham City.

The 34-year-old returned to Russia with Siberian side Tom Tomsk in 2012.

Insidethegames has contacted Russian anti-doping agency RUSADA for comment on O’Connor’s claims.