Tyler Fletcher earns Scotland World Cup call-up after Billy Gilmour's knee injury

Manchester United teenager Tyler Fletcher has been called up to Scotland’s World Cup squad after Billy Gilmour was ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury sustained during Saturday’s 4-1 friendly victory over Curacao at Hampden Park. The Scottish FA confirmed the selection on Sunday morning, with the squad due to fly to the United States the same day.

Gilmour, who plays his club football for Napoli, will miss Scotland’s first World Cup appearance since 1998 — a significant blow for both player and nation. Fletcher, 19, had only made his senior Scotland debut in the Curacao match itself, coming off the bench to impress manager Steve Clarke.

Clarke had three other midfielders on standby — Rangers’ Conor Barron, Andy Irving of Sparta Prague, and Udinese’s Lennon Miller — but opted for Fletcher after the teenager trained with the squad through the week. “He’s trained well this week, so he’s a little bit closer than the other three, but I’d need to have a big discussion with my staff and decide the best way to go,” Clarke said after Saturday’s match, before the Scottish FA confirmed the decision the following morning.

Fletcher is the son of Scotland legend Darren Fletcher, who earned 80 caps and was named national captain in 2009. Darren now manages Manchester United’s under-18 side after serving as interim first-team manager in January. Tyler’s twin brother Jack, also on United’s books, has chosen to represent England at youth level.

Scotland teammate Kenny McLean was effusive in his praise of the youngster after his debut appearance. “I said to the lads after his first session, ‘I can see something special in him’,” McLean said. “In my first couple of squads, I played with his dad and, for me, in my first session, he stood out a mile. Fortunately for Scotland, his son is pretty similar. There is a lot of potential there.”

Fletcher featured for United on the final day of the Premier League season at Brighton and claimed the club’s Denzil Haroun Player of the Year Award this season — an honour previously won by Nicky Butt, Michael Keane, Adnan Januzaj, Axel Tuanzebe, and Alvaro Fernandez. He becomes the 13th United player selected for the 2026 World Cup.

Scotland open their World Cup campaign against Haiti on Sunday, June 14, in a group that also includes Brazil and Morocco.