Clarke 'praying' Gilmour makes World Cup

Scotland v Curacao - International Friendly

Scotland boss Steve Clarke has admitted he is "100 per cent worried" about the fitness of Billy Gilmour after the midfielder limped out of Saturday's World Cup warm-up clash. The Napoli star was forced off during the first half of the 4-1 victory over Curacao at Hampden Park, leaving his participation in the upcoming tournament in serious doubt.

Midfield anchor faces race against time

The 24-year-old sparked immediate concern when he went to the ground with no one around him towards the end of the first half. Despite receiving treatment, Gilmour was unable to continue and was immediately substituted, casting a dark cloud over Scotland's final preparations before they depart for the United States.

Clarke confirmed after the final whistle that the former Chelsea and Brighton man has already been sent for medical imaging to determine the extent of the damage. With Scotland's World Cup opener against Haiti in Boston just over two weeks away, the timing could not be worse for a player who has become a vital component of the national team's engine room.

Scotland v Curacao - International Friendly

Clarke admits major injury concerns

Speaking to the press following the win, Clarke did not attempt to downplay the severity of the situation. "One big disappointment is the injury to Billy, and we are just waiting on it being assessed, and we'll find out how bad it is," the Scotland head coach said. "He has gone for a scan so I haven't had a chance to speak to him, but I am 100 per cent worried."

The manager explained that Gilmour was proactive in acknowledging he could not carry on, which often signals a significant issue. "He hurt himself in the tackle, then decided to take himself off – he knew it wasn't right. There's no point speculating; let's wait and see what the medics say. I'm sitting here hoping and praying he's on the plane," Clarke added.

Victory overshadowed by fitness fears

The injury somewhat soured what was otherwise a productive afternoon at Hampden. While Scotland eventually ran out 4-1 winners, they did not have it all their own way against Dick Advocaat’s side. Tahith Chong had given the visitors a shock lead before a red card for Jurgen Locadia seven minutes before the interval turned the tide in favour of the hosts.

Findlay Curtis, who came on to replace the injured Gilmour, netted his first senior international goal to equalise. A brace from Lawrence Shankland and a Ryan Christie penalty eventually ensured the Tartan Army enjoyed a winning send-off, though the performance was secondary to the news regarding their star midfielder.

Scotland v Curacao - International Friendly

Tactical lessons ahead of the big kick-off

Despite the comfortable scoreline, Clarke suggested he would have preferred a more rigorous test against eleven men. "The red card obviously changed the whole dynamic of the game, and from there, at least, against the 10, we managed to start creating chances and got a few goals," the manager reflected as he looked ahead to the group stage.

He continued: "It is obviously nice to win any international game, but I think it would have been better if it had stayed 11 vs 11 and then we'd have been asked more questions about finding the spaces on the pitch – could we create the chances that we created against 10 men against 11? That would have been a better exercise for us."

Scotland now faces an anxious wait for Gilmour's scan results before finalising their plans for the trip to North America.