Gilmour out of World Cup with knee injury; Fletcher eyed as replacement

In the final hours before Scotland's departure for the World Cup, a knee injury sustained in a routine friendly stripped the squad of Billy Gilmour — one of its most assured midfield voices — before the tournament had even begun. What should have been a confidence-building victory over Curacao became instead a moment of reckoning, forcing head coach Steve Clarke to look toward youth where experience had stood. In sport, as in life, the margin between preparation and disruption is often a single misstep.