Scotland appoints Fletcher as Gilmour’s World Cup replacement

Manchester United teenager Tyler Fletcher has been selected to replace Billy Gilmour in Scotland’s World Cup squad, following the Napoli midfielder’s withdrawal due to injury. The 19-year-old was named as a late replacement for the squad, which is preparing for its first tournament appearance since 1998.

Gilmour damaged his knee during the first half of a friendly match against Curacao on Saturday. The incident occurred before Fletcher made his international debut as a half-time substitute in the same fixture, which Scotland won 4-1 at Hampden. The withdrawal from the squad was announced later that evening.

Scotland head coach Steve Clarke described the timing of the injury as cruel, noting that Gilmour had been an integral part of the World Cup qualifying campaign. Clarke expressed full confidence in Gilmour’s future prospects, stating that the midfielder would have many major tournaments ahead of him, despite his absence from the current finals.

Fletcher, the son of former Scotland captain Darren Fletcher, has already featured more minutes for the national team than for his club this season. He has come off the bench twice for Manchester United, while his twin brother Jack has chosen to represent England.

Clarke had previously expanded the training squad with four young players, including Rangers’ Connor Barron, Andy Irving of Sparta Prague, and Lennon Miller of Udinese. Napoli teammate Scott McTominay also voiced his support for Gilmour on Instagram, describing the situation as devastating for the player.

The Scotland party is scheduled to fly to Florida on Sunday, with a final warm-up match against Bolivia set for New Jersey on Saturday, 6 June. The team will compete in Group C, facing Haiti, Morocco, and Brazil in the tournament.