Billy Gilmour ruled out of the World Cup after suffering knee injury

Scotland midfielder Billy Gilmour has been ruled out of the World Cup with a knee injury he suffered in Saturday's 4-1 win over Curacao.

The 24-year-old came off worst in a challenge late in the first half and after playing on for a few minutes he pulled up in clear distress and fell to the floor before after attempting a routine pass.

Gilmour was able to walk off the pitch and was immediately taken for a scan which revealed the extent of his injury.

In a statement published by the Scottish FA, manager Steve Clarke said: "I am devastated for Billy because he has been an integral part of our World Cup qualifying campaign. The timing of this injury is so, so cruel and we all feel for him.

"He knows what we all think of him as a footballer and a person and while no words will give him any comfort tonight, I am certain Billy will have many major tournaments ahead of him in the future."

With Gilmour forced to withdraw, Tyler Fletcher, the 19-year-old son of former Scotland captain Darren Fletcher, has put himself in the frame for a dramatic call-up.

The Manchester United midfielder was not in the 26-man squad named by Clarke, but was one of five young players given the chance to join them for training over the past week to boost numbers and gain experience.

After impressing senior players and coaching staff, Fletcher was then thrust in for a surprise debut as a second-half substitute against Curacao and produced an accomplished 45-minute display.

Asked about his options, Clarke said: "Obviously I've got Connor Barron, Andy Irving, Lennon Miller, and you see for yourself how good young Tyler is. I'll probably keep him awake tonight as well.

"The three that I mentioned are on standby. Obviously Tyler joined us this week. He's trained well this week so he's a little bit closer than the other three but I'd need to have a big discussion with my staff and decide the best way to go."

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Scotland came from behind to claim victory through a strike from teenage winger Findlay Curtis, a Lawrence Shankland double and a Ryan Christie penalty after Curacao had former Brighton forward Jürgen Locadia sent off in the first half.

Clarke admitted he would have preferred if the match had stayed 11-a-side so his team were properly tested a fortnight ahead of their World Cup opener against Haiti.

"We wanted to finish with a smile on our face," he said. "We wanted to make the long journey over knowing that we'd got a victory and scored a few goals, so, yeah, that's nice."