Scott McTominay 'absolutely devastated' as Billy Gilmour ruled out of World Cup

Scotland's World Cup preparations have been rocked by an injury to midfielder Billy Gilmour, who was forced off during the second half of the 4-1 friendly win over Curacao. The Scottish FA confirmed medical assessments showed he would be unable to recover in time for the group stages and he has withdrawn from the squad.

The dressing room mood turned sombre as team-mates processed the news. Scott McTominay, his Napoli team-mate, wrote on Instagram: "Absolutely devasted for you brother, football is a cruel game and you don't deserve this, keep your head up. The players, staff and country love you." Head coach Steve Clarke stressed how important Gilmour had been to the qualifying campaign and called the timing "so, so cruel." 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.

Scotland

billy gilmour, scott mctominay, steve clarke, scotland, world cup, injury, curacao, withdrawn, napoli, qualifying campaign