Steve Clarke gave Scotland the good news the nation had been hoping for when he described Scott McTominay as in 'perfect' condition ahead of Sunday's World Cup opener against Haiti, writes Keith Jackson in Boston.
McTominay recovers from illness
The Napoli midfielder was forced to sit out training on Thursday after being floored by a stomach bug, sparking fears that Clarke might have to do without his talisman for the must-win Group C showdown. McTominay was ordered not to travel on the team bus from the airport here in Boston to the team hotel in the city centre as a precautionary measure to ensure the sickness virus didn't rip through the rest of Clarke's squad. McTominay made the short trip in a separate vehicle after being put into a state of semi self-isolation.
But he was back on the training pitch yesterday as Clarke went through some final preparations at the home of MLS side New England Revolution - where they were greeted by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. Clarke then held a press conference at the 65,000 capacity Boston Stadium during which he declared that McTominay has fully recovered and ready to help get Scotland's World Cup off to a flyer in Foxborough.
Clarke: 'He's perfect'
When asked for an update on McTominay's condition Clarke replied: 'He's perfect.' And the national boss then stressed that McTominay can't make history here this summer all by himself.
Clarke said: 'I think I've got 26 superstars here. It's not fair to put too much pressure on the shoulders of just one person. We have built everything over the last seven years as a squad. That's by everybody being together and everybody playing their part at certain times. Some daft coach once played Scott as a centre-half five years ago. But obviously he's not a centre-half. And since moving further forward he's done great for us. No, we're delighted with Scott's abilities and what he can bring to the team. But we're going to need another 15 to bring the same if we want to have a positive tournament.'
Determined to make an impact
Clarke went on to admit that he has not actually enjoyed the last two tournaments that he has qualified for and he says the players are determined not to mess it up for a third time on the bounce. He said: 'I think the players have spoken about that themselves. Obviously we know the last two tournaments haven't gone the way that we wanted the tournaments to go. We now have another chance. And that's credit to the players that they keep qualifying for these major tournaments. It's great to be here but we also want to do something special.'
Clarke revealed that Scott McKenna will miss out on the opener with a minor calf injury. But the manager knows more of his star performers will be disappointed when he names his first ever World Cup starting XI. He said: 'The team selection is always difficult. It's always a tough one when you've got to leave three or four players out who have played a big part in getting us to the tournament. But, as I said quite early on, it's going to be a squad World Cup. The starting team is important but I think you'll find in a lot of games the team that finishes is every bit as important if not even more important. The lads know that, it's been explained to them, what we are going to do and how we are going to utilise the squad.'
