Scotland XI vs Haiti: McTominay Starts After Illness Scare in World Cup Opener

Scott McTominay starts for Scotland in their World Cup opener against Haiti in a major boost for the Tartan Army. The former Manchester United midfielder heads into the expanded tournament in North America as arguably his country’s most important player, following a remarkable rise during two seasons with Napoli. In that time, he has won a Scudetto and firmly established himself as one of the very best talents in Serie A.

McTominay's Importance

McTominay’s importance at club level has certainly been mirrored on the international stage. This was shown by his incredible overhead kick goal to open the scoring as Scotland beat Denmark 4-2 in a dramatic showdown at Hampden Park back in November, sealing their first World Cup finals appearance since 1998.

The 29-year-old is among the very first names on the team sheet for the Tartan Army when fit. However, fears over his availability for their Group C opener against Haiti in Foxborough were sparked after he missed training in Charlotte on Thursday and then travelled separately to the team’s Boston hotel, along with a doctor.

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Illness Scare

It later emerged that McTominay was suffering from a stomach upset, and the decision to have him arrive on his own was a precautionary measure to try and prevent any possible sickness spread to the rest of the squad. However, he resumed training on Friday, and manager Steve Clarke has since confirmed that McTominay is “perfect and ready to go” against Haiti, who are set for only their second World Cup and first since 1974.

Playing down Scotland’s reliance on the Napoli star, Clarke added: “I've got 26 superstars here. To try to put so much on to one person is not fair. We've built everything we've done over the last seven years on the squad, the team, everyone being together and playing their part at certain times. We are delighted with Scott's abilities and what he can bring to the team. But we are going to need another 15 to bring the same if we want to have a positive tournament.”

Team News

McTominay’s fitness is particularly good news for Scotland after Napoli team-mate Billy Gilmour was ruled out of the World Cup with a knee injury suffered in the warm-up win over Curacao.