A Man Utd academy graduate might get their dream World Cup call-up after Billy Gilmour had to pull out.
Tyler Fletcher only made his senior debut for Scotland last Saturday, but now he’s on standby for a dream World Cup spot after Billy Gilmour got injured and can’t play this summer.
It’s been a busy week for Tyler, who is the son of former Manchester United player Darren Fletcher. The 19-year-old joined some of his under-21 teammates—James Wilson, Luke Graham, Andrew Tod, and Liam McFarlane—for a friendly match against Curacao at Hampden Park.
At first, some thought Tyler was just there to fill in during training since several experienced players arrived late after tough seasons. But he impressed the coaches and got to play for 45 minutes in Scotland’s 4-1 win, with goals from Findlay Curtis, Lawrence Shankland (2), and Ryan Christie.
Sadly, the good win was marred by Billy Gilmour’s knee injury, which ruled him out of the World Cup. Scotland’s team shared the news online, sending support to Billy.
Now, there’s a chance Fletcher could take Gilmour’s place. Scotland manager Steve Clarke said the young Manchester United academy player is a strong candidate for the 26-man squad. Tyler is on the standby list along with Connor Barron, Andy Irving, and Lennon Miller.
“You can see how good Tyler is,” Clarke said after the match. “He’s trained well this week, so he’s a bit closer than the others, but I still need to talk it through with my staff to make the best choice.” Teams have to submit their final lists to FIFA by June 1.
This injury could give Tyler a chance he never expected so early in his career. In February, he made his senior debut for Manchester United in a 2-0 win over Tottenham and also played in their last Premier League game of the season against Brighton.
Tyler has made a great impression with Scotland. Norwich City captain Kenny McLean, who also played in the Curacao match, was full of praise for him.
“Tyler came on and I can’t say enough good things about him. After his first session, I told the lads I could see something special,” McLean said. “I played with his dad early in my Scotland career, and Darren stood out a lot. Luckily, his son is pretty similar. He has a lot of potential—it’s about using him the right way.”
McLean hopes Tyler keeps shining at his club and continues making an impact when he plays for Scotland. He added, “These young players can definitely help us now and have a bright future in the Scotland shirt.”