Scotland manager Steve Clarke has admitted to sleepless nights after handing Manchester United youngster Tyler Fletcher a surprise place in his World Cup squad. The 19-year-old, son of former captain Darren Fletcher, was called up following a serious knee injury to Billy Gilmour that has ruled the Brighton midfielder out of this summer's tournament.
Fletcher made his senior debut in Saturday's 4-1 win over Curacao, having previously represented both Scotland and England at youth level. His twin brother Jack plays for England's youth teams. Clarke still has a wealth of midfield options including John McGinn, Scott McTominay, Kenny McLean and Ryan Christie, but some fans were surprised to see Fletcher preferred to Udinese's Lennon Miller.
It remains to be seen whether Fletcher will feature in Group C matches against Haiti, Morocco and Brazil. However, he is not the first shock call-up in World Cup history. Record Sport looks at eight other surprise inclusions, including Theo Walcott, who was picked for England in 2006 at age 16 without having made his Arsenal debut, and Samuel Eto'o, who was a surprise pick for Cameroon in 1998 at age 17.
Other notable shock selections include Australia's Garang Kuol, who played at the 2022 World Cup at age 18 before a loan spell at Hearts, and Germany's Youssoufa Moukoko, called up for the 2022 tournament despite limited senior experience. The list also features Ronaldo Nazario and Norman Whiteside, who were both surprise picks in their early careers.
