Paul Dickov has come to the defence of Tyler Fletcher, dismissing doubters and insisting the young talent will shine for Scotland, much like his father Darren Fletcher did. The 19-year-old Manchester United prospect was called up to the World Cup squad by Steve Clarke following Billy Gilmour's injury.
Fletcher's Rapid Rise
Tyler Fletcher made his international debut as a half-time substitute in Scotland's win over Curacao. Despite having played more minutes for his country than for Manchester United this season, Dickov believes the criticism is unwarranted. He recalls a similar scenario when Craig Brown gave a surprise call-up to a young Darren Fletcher, who went on to earn 80 caps and win multiple Premier League titles with Manchester United.
Speaking to Record Sport via Gamble Mind, Dickov said: "It's a fantastic experience for him to go to the World Cup. I know people might look at the number of minutes he's had at Manchester United. But there's no doubt he's a top-quality midfielder." He added: "It's going to be very difficult not to compare him to his dad. I remember a very young baby-faced Darren Fletcher coming into the Scotland squad when nobody had heard of him. He wasn't in Manchester United's first team; Craig Brown brought him into the fold, and we could tell very quickly that he was a top player."
Advice and Quality
Dickov highlighted that Tyler has a wealth of advice available from his father. "Tyler's not got very far to look for advice. To be in a Premier League squad week in week out, it shows you the quality that he's got to have, especially to be in a squad with all the Manchester United players in there. He's got real quality, and hopefully, he's going to be an asset for Scotland. Going forward, the experience that Tyler will get from being involved in this will be invaluable for him."
Shankland's Key Role
The former striker also backed Lawrence Shankland to be Scotland's key player at the tournament. The Rangers forward has scored three goals in two World Cup warm-up matches, continuing his impressive form from last season with Hearts. Dickov said: "If Scotland is going to do well, Lawrence is going to be a major part of it. It's not just his goal-scoring exploits and taking chances; he's a leader as well."
He acknowledged the challenges against strong teams like Morocco and Brazil, where Scotland may have less possession. "As the centre forward, as the number nine, you find you're up there on your own. It's imperative they keep hold of the ball to take a bit of pressure off the back four, and let the team get up the pitch. We're going to be camped in our own half a lot of the time. It's nothing to be ashamed of. We're playing against two very technical teams."
Dickov expects Shankland to have more energy to focus on creating chances around the box. "What we will find is that he'll have more energy because he can concentrate on getting himself in around the box and creating a lot of chances. At both Hearts and with Scotland, they'll be doing a lot of work off the ball about holding the ball up. The majority of the games Rangers are going to have are going to be the opposite; they're going to have the ball. Teams are going to be defending deep. He's going to have to make sure that when he gets his chances in that box, he's ready. It'll be a different challenge for him."
