Scott McTominay fit for Scotland’s World Cup opener against Haiti

FOXBOROUGH, United States (AFP) — Scott McTominay has recovered from a stomach illness and is available for Scotland’s first match at the World Cup, Coach Steve Clarke said ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Haiti.

Asked about the condition of the 29-year-old Napoli midfielder, Clarke said: “He is perfect and ready to go.” McTominay enters the tournament after scoring 14 goals across all competitions for Napoli, who finished second in Serie A.

His standing with Scotland supporters rose sharply last November when his spectacular bicycle-kick goal helped secure a vital 4-2 victory over Denmark, a result that sent Scotland to their first World Cup since 1998.

Still, Clarke said Scotland cannot allow the build-up to rest too heavily on one player before the Group C opener in Boston. “I think I have got 26 superstars here. To try and put so much onto one person is not fair. We have built everything we have over the last seven years on the squad, the team, everybody being together and playing their part at certain times,” said Clarke.

McTominay has filled several positions for Scotland, but he is expected to operate in an advanced midfield role during the World Cup. Clarke joked about his earlier use of the former Manchester United player in defence, saying: “Some daft coach put him as a centre half five years ago but, obviously, he is not a centre half.”

“Since he moved further forward he has done great for us. We are delighted with Scott’s abilities and what he can bring to the team but we are going to need another 15 that can do the same if we want to have a positive tournament,” Clarke added.

Scotland are trying to reach the knockout rounds of a World Cup for the first time, and a strong start is important with Morocco and Brazil still to come in the group. Morocco are ranked seventh in the world, while Brazil are sixth.

Their place at this World Cup follows appearances at the last two European Championships, where Scotland went out in the group stage both times and did not win a match. “The last two tournaments have not gone the way we wanted them to go but we have another chance — and that is credit to the players that they keep qualifying for these major tournaments. It is great to be here but we also want to do something special,” said Clarke.

Clarke, 62, has managed Scotland since 2019 and signed a new deal last month that runs until 2030. Asked what lessons his side could take from their starts at the previous two Euros, including a 5-1 defeat by hosts Germany in the opening match of Euro 2024, he replied: “The Germany one is easy: Don’t get humped.”

“The way we started that tournament, we let ourselves down, and then you have that bad feeling hanging over you the whole tournament,” Clarke said.