Scott McTominay fitness concern: Scotland take precaution ahead of Haiti clash
The Napoli midfielder has been dealing with a stomach bug that forced him to miss the team’s final training session ahead of Scotland’s World Cup opener against Haiti
Scotland are sweating over the fitness of Scott McTominay ahead of their World Cup opener against Haiti, as the midfielder missed training on Thursday due to a stomach complaint.
The Napoli star, who has become Scotland’s talisman in recent years, was absent as Steve Clarke’s squad completed their final training session in North Carolina before travelling to Boston for Saturday’s match.
His absence immediately raised concerns among supporters, given his importance to the team and Scotland‘s long-awaited return to the World Cup stage.
However, there appears to be no major alarm within the camp. McTominay travelled with the squad from Charlotte to Boston, although he made the journey separately from his teammates alongside a doctor as a precautionary measure.
Scotland will begin their first World Cup campaign in 28 years against Haiti at Boston Stadium in Foxborough before facing Morocco and Brazil in the remaining group matches.
Speaking at Thursday’s media conference, fellow midfielder Kenny McLean expressed confidence that the issue would not become a wider concern within the squad.
“Hopefully that doesn’t spread. Fingers crossed Scott will be fine. I’m sure he will be,” he said.
“I don’t need to speak too much on him, everyone knows how big he is. It’s a team effort and always will be, but when you have special, special players like that you want them to be available. I’m sure he will be.”
McTominay stats with Scotland
Few players have become as important to Scotland in recent years as Scott McTominay. While he began his international career as a deeper-lying midfielder, the Napoli star has evolved into Steve Clarke’s most decisive attacking weapon, regularly arriving in the box to score crucial goals.
His combination of physicality, timing and finishing ability has made him one of the most dangerous goalscoring midfielders in international football.
McTominay heads into the World Cup with a record of 15 goals in 70 appearances for Scotland, an impressive return for a player who spends much of his time in midfield.
Several of those strikes have come in high-pressure matches, including key goals during Scotland’s qualification campaigns and major tournament appearances. He also arrives in strong form after finding the net in Scotland’s 4-0 victory over Bolivia in their final warm-up match.
