Scott McTominay is questionable for Scotland's World Cup opener against Haiti. The player missed training on Thursday at the Scotland base in Charlotte as he is dealing with stomach issues, and was not on the team bus that arrived at the hotel in Boston ahead of Saturday night's game. The Napoli midfielder was accompanied by a doctor as a precautionary measure as coach Steve Clarke tries to prevent the illness from spreading throughout the group.
At 29, McTominay is a key figure for the World Cup squad as they look to progress from a tough group that also includes Brazil and Morocco. Fellow midfielder Kenny McLean hopes McTominay can feature as Scotland return to the World Cup after a 28-year absence. “Hopefully this doesn’t spread,” McLean said of the disease. "Fingers crossed that Scott will be okay. I'm sure he will be. I don't need to say much about him, everyone knows how important he is. It's a team effort and always will be, but when you have special players like him, you want them to be available. I'm sure he will be."
The clash with Haiti at Boston Stadium in Foxborough is scheduled for the early hours of Sunday morning Scottish time, although a significant number of fans have traveled to the United States to support the team. Injured midfielder Billy Gilmour also arrived in Boston to support the team after having his World Cup hopes dashed by a serious injury suffered in the warm-up game against Curacao. “He obviously wants to experience everything with the guys and also see the city with the fans and soak up the atmosphere,” McLean said. "He deserves so much more, but he will have so many more opportunities. I know it's not what he wants to hear right now, but there will be. What an incredible talent, what an incredible young man and it will be good to see him.",