Billy Gilmour tries to cope with Scotland-Napoli big-game bench roles and offers Scott McTominay perspective

Certainly, when it comes to big games, the Napoli midfielder often seems to be the odd one out. He missed out in two Euros openers, against Czech Republic and then Germany last summer. Again last month, when Scotland were preparing to take on Denmark in the first game of their last World Cup qualifying campaign, Gilmour was left on the sidelines, as he was when Greece visited Hampden on Thursday night.

One can imagine the reaction if Scotland had not grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat. ‘Well, what can Steve Clarke expect?’ might have been the gist of it. If he consistently fails to pick Serie A winners like Gilmour, he’s simply asking for trouble.

As it is, he’s reckoned to have got away with it. A 0-0 draw in Copenhagen was followed by a 3-1 win over Greece that leaves Scotland tantalisingly close to qualification. A win over Belarus on Sunday night would mean the Scots can guarantee a World Cup place by taking a point against Greece in Piraeus next month against Greece before beating Denmark at Hampden.

What a game that winner-takes-all finale against the Danes would be. Talk about crunch clashes. And judging from previous experience, Gilmour would be watching – initially at least – from the bench.

How is he coping with this frustration? “It’s never nice to sit on the bench, so it’s not great,” he admitted. “But we've got a squad here, you need to be ready when called upon. I need to show when I come on that I should be starting and that goes for the other boys as well. It's never nice but you need to just be ready to take the chance when you come on.”

Gilmour is a popular player with Scotland fans

Clarke knows what everyone is saying. He is aware Gilmour is a Tartan Army favourite, some might even say mascot. “I am frustrated as well that I can’t pick every good player on the pitch,” explained the manager. “It always seems to be the one you leave out is the one you are hit over the head with. That is my life. It is part and parcel of the job. I feel for him. But I knew the way Billy was training during the week that when I put him on the pitch that he would help us.”

Ironically, Gilmour’s appearance after 58 minutes against Greece, while welcome, prompted some booing. This was entirely to do with the identity of the player he had replaced, Ben Gannon-Doak. The Tartan Army believed the teenager was the key to making the breakthrough against the Greeks, even if it wasn't proving so up to that point.

When Scotland almost instantly went behind, Gilmour might have wondered if he really was the problem. But as has happened on so many occasions, the midfielder quickly clicked into gear. The team played better when he was on the pitch and it seems certain he will start on Sunday night against Belarus at Hampden. There will be insurrection in the stands if not, especially given Scotland are already missing suspended fellow midfielders Ryan Christie and Lewis Ferguson.

Making his inclusion seem even more probable was the fact he was selected to speak to reporters at the press conference on the eve of the match. Now 24, Gilmour described himself as being “in the middle age group now” when it comes to the squad. Not among the youngest, such as Lennon Miller and Gannon-Doak. Although it’s now four years and 42 caps since he made his debut, not yet among the veterans either. This isn’t his last chance to reach a World Cup, as might be the case for Andy Robertson and even John McGinn, who turns 31 next week. Gilmour wasn’t born when Scotland were last there at France ’98. World Cups to him mean kickabouts in Ayrshire, where he grew up.

“When you're young and you go down to the parks, you say you’re playing ‘World Cuppy’, which is like playing in the World Cup,” he recalled. “It's every child's dream to go and play for their country or go and play for the biggest club team to go to Champions League or the World Cup.”

He doesn’t feel he has a point to prove and nor should he. We are talking about a Serie A title winner, after all. He was asked whether reaching North America and Mexico next summer might eclipse winning the Italian league title. He correctly hesitated.

Serie v World Cup

“Ohhh…” he replied. “A Serie A medal is a special, special thing for me. I mean I'd love to go to the World Cup, that's obviously the dream. Every Scotland fan's dream, every kid growing up that's played football and watched Scotland knows that it's the biggest event."

Although they are clubmates as well, Gilmour and Scott McTominay do not start as many games together as they should.

The latter is a regular, almost guaranteed starter, as befits the winner of last season’s Most Valuable Player award in Italy. Gilmour, meanwhile, starts fewer games for Napoli than he does for Scotland. McTominay’s own position has come under some threat since the arrival of Kevin De Bruyne from Manchester City. Italian commentators suspect McTominay’s quiet start to the season is a consequence of being shunted out to the left due to the Belgian’s arrival, although this doesn’t explain his underwhelming recent form for Scotland.

Unsurprisingly, Gilmour advises patience. “Of course he is,” he replied, when asked if McTominay was still very much the man in Naples. “From last season, he's MVP of the league and scored so many goals, winning goals for us in games. You see when it comes to Scott, how much the fans love him. He's had a bit of a difficult time (recently), but I'm sure Scott will turn it around.”