Manchester United midfielder Tyler Fletcher could make Scotland’s 26-man squad for the World Cup after an unfortunate knee injury sustained by Napoli star Billy Gilmour on Saturday.
Scotland played an international friendly against Curacao yesterday, which they won 4-1. It came with a sad update as Gilmour was ruled out of the World Cup with a concerning knee problem.
As a result, Scotland need to replace him ahead of the global tournament, and manager Steve Clarke has revealed that United wonderkid Tyler Fletcher is on standby for a potential World Cup spot.
The United reserve Team Player of the Year was brought into the Scotland training camp prior to the Curacao friendly and eventually made his national team debut, coming on at half-time.
Speaking after the game, Clarke acknowledged ‘how good’ Fletcher is and added that he is a frontrunner to fill the final World Cup spot left by Gilmour’s untimely setback in the opening half.
He said: “You see for yourself how good young Tyler is. I’ll probably keep him awake tonight as well. Obviously, Tyler joined us this 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.”
Fletcher deserves a World Cup call-up with Scotland
Tyler Fletcher’s twin brother, Jack, got most of the attention during the first half of the 2025/26 Premier League season, but there is no doubting the immense potential of the former.
United manager Michael Carrick handed him his debut in February. He came on in the dying seconds against Tottenham Hotspur. He went on to play 16 minutes in the final matchday at Brighton & Hove Albion.
Fletcher is a player to watch out for in future. The teenager had a good debut for Scotland. He had a pass completion rate of 87 percent from midfield. He also delivered 100 percent of his long balls with five progressive carries.
A quick decision is expected on Gilmour’s replacement in the next 24 hours. Based on Clarke’s comments, Fletcher looks poised to get the nod for the World Cup. A good exposure should only benefit United in the long term.
The club are planning to bring in at least two marquee signings in their midfield. Casemiro is on his way out on a free transfer, while Manuel Ugarte looks set to be sold. Fletcher could still play a part with the extra workload.
United played only 40 matches in the recently concluded campaign, but could feature in 60 or more games if they go deep in the Cup and European games next term. Fletcher could earn minutes in the Cup competitions with small cameos elsewhere.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com