'Need to work': Scotland won't try to protect players in final World Cup warm-up
Some players have niggles but cotton wool won’t be applied
Scotland head coach Steve Clarke says there will be no holding back in Saturday’s friendly against Bolivia despite losing Billy Gilmour, whose knee injury in the 4-1 win over Curacao last weekend means he will miss the World Cup.
Gilmour came off towards the end of the first half with a knee issue at Hampden and was swiftly ruled out of the tournament. He was replaced by Manchester United midfielder Tyler Fletcher.
Scotland’s final match before their Group C campaign against Haiti, Morocco and Brazil comes against the Bolivians in New Jersey and some players in the camp have niggles. Nevertheless, Clarke will not be keeping some of his stars in cold storage - with game-time a must ahead of the competitive action.
“You want me to wrap them in cotton wool and not train?” said Clarke in his pre-match press conference. “You need to work. Injuries are part and parcel of football. When it happens, especially when it happens in the circumstances that happen to Billy, it’s really disappointing. Everybody’s got to take a deep breath and move forward again.
“Selection is straightforward. We have to do what we have to do to prepare for the Haiti game. So players need minutes. I need to see one or two players’ position on the pitch. And then we’ve got a week to prepare for the first game, so it’s all about preparation. There’s no trying to protect players or whatever.”
Scotland midfielder Lewis Ferguson missed the Euros two years ago through injury and admits being at the World Cup is extra special to him. The Bologna midfielder was left out of the tournament in Germany two years ago with a knee injury, but has been key to the Scots returning to the biggest stage of all for the first time since 1998.
Ferguson, who is in line to start against Bolivia, said: “The last Euros was obviously really disappointing, I was forced out through injury. It was a bad injury. It was a tough one to take because I felt at that point I was starting to get more minutes on the pitch and I just felt like I was in a good place.
“So let’s say that this full qualification campaign and preparation has been a little bit more special for me with it being my first major tournament. But it’s the same for most the lads and everyone’s really looking forward to it. We have still got a good wee bit to go, but our full focus is on the game tomorrow.”
Ferguson expressed sympathy for Gilmour. “I was devastated for Billy, obviously,” he added. “I’ve known him for such a long time and we’ve kind of watched each other grow and progress in in our careers and it was nice that we were preparing for a for a World Cup together. I’m really good friends with him so, like everybody else, I was absolutely gutted for him.
“And it can happen in football, but I just I don’t think as a professional, you go into a game thinking about getting injured.
“I don’t think it will be in anyone’s thoughts really because when you’re playing the game, you don’t dip your toe in and think ‘oh I maybe get hurt here or there’. As a professional, you don’t play like that.”
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