Billy Gilmour took a huge hit at the World Cup, missing this summer’s World Cup tournament due to a knee injury. FIFA regulations allow Steve Clarke to call up a replacement and the head coach has already identified four candidates for his role.
Napoli playmaker Gilmour looked devastated after sustaining a knee injury in the opening game against Curacao. After the game, Clark admitted he was worried and said he was “hoping and praying” that he would be able to get on a plane to North America tomorrow.
Scotland subsequently confirmed that the injury was serious and would prevent him from taking full part in the match. “We are disappointed to announce that Billy Gilmour will not be able to participate in the World Cup due to the knee injury he sustained in today’s win over Curaçao. We all support Billy,” the statement said.
FIFA regulations allow injured players to give way until 24 hours before the first match of a World Cup, which will allow Clarke to return to the standby group. Tyler Fletcher, who made his debut at halftime against Curacao, is one of four players who could replace Gilmore.
There may also be a chance for Udinese’s Lennon Miller, who was unlucky not to be included in the original 26-man squad, to play. Assessing his options if the worst-case scenario materializes after the game, Clarke said: “We’ve got Conor Barron, Andy Irving, Lennon Miller and you can see for yourself how good young Tyler is. I’m not going to sleep tonight.”
“The three guys I mentioned are on standby. Tyler joined us this week and practiced well this week, so he’s a little closer than the other three. But we’ll have to have a good conversation with our staff to decide that’s the way to go.”
“Everyone is impressed (with him), the players are impressed, the coaching staff is impressed too.
“I was actually thinking of bringing him on because Billy was sent off, but I thought I’d wait a little bit to see how the game went before I brought him on at half-time.”
