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The deadline for Steve Clarke to finalise his 26-man squad for the upcoming World Cup is fast approaching.

Manchester United’s young midfielder Tyler Fletcher has been drafted into Scotland’s World Cup squad.

Scotland, who are set to appear in their first World Cup since 1998 later this summer, have been dealt a major setback with Napoli star Billy Gilmour ruled out due to injury.

The former Chelsea midfielder suffered a knee injury during Scotland’s friendly victory over Curacao on Saturday and will not feature in the tournament in North America. Fletcher has been confirmed as his replacement ahead of the squad submission deadline on Monday, June 1.

A statement from the Scotland camp read: “Following the news of Billy Gilmour’s injury, we can confirm that 19-year-old Tyler Fletcher has been added to our World Cup squad after making his debut against Curacao yesterday. Welcome aboard, Tyler.”

Manager Steve Clarke expressed his disappointment over Gilmour’s injury but also hinted that Fletcher was in contention for a call-up after heaping praise on the Manchester United teenager.

“I’ve got Connor Barron, Andy Irving, Lennon Miller, and you can see yourself how talented young Tyler is,” Clarke said. “The three I mentioned are on standby. Obviously, Tyler joined us this week. He’s trained really well, so he’s a bit closer than the other three, but I’ll need to have a detailed discussion with my staff to decide the best approach.”

Clarke added, “I’m devastated for Billy because he has been a key part of our World Cup qualifying campaign. The timing of this injury is incredibly cruel, and all of us feel for him. He knows how highly we regard him as both a footballer and a person. While words can offer little comfort right now, I’m confident Billy will feature in many major tournaments in the years to come.”

Tyler Fletcher, now officially part of Scotland’s final 26-man World Cup squad, is the son of Manchester United’s manager Darren Fletcher and twin brother of Jack Fletcher. He made two senior appearances for United during the 2025–26 season.

Although Fletcher represented England at youth levels — under-15, under-16, under-17, under-18, and under-19 — he has opted to play for Scotland at senior level. The midfielder has set his sights on surpassing his father’s record of 80 international caps for the national team.