Billy Gilmour is asymptomatic and will isolate for 10 days; the Chelsea midfielder would have started on Tuesday after impressing against England; Clarke: "Obviously a blow for us but a chance for someone else"
Monday 21 June 2021 19:58, UK
Scotland manager Steve Clarke admits the loss of Billy Gilmour is a blow to the squad ahead of Tuesday's massive Euro 2020 match against Croatia.
Gilmour impressed in the 0-0 draw against England last week but will now have to isolate for 10 days after testing positive for coronavirus.
Clarke said: "He's upset, as you would expect. He has no symptoms, hopefully his health will hold up. Hopefully he'll get back to playing as quickly as possible.
"Obviously a blow for us but a chance for someone else.
"Billy would have started the game and now he won't, so it's a chance for someone else to come into the team and make themselves a national hero."
Scotland have not been instructed to put any other players into self-isolation following Gilmour's positive test.
The Scottish FA has confirmed the remaining 25 members of the squad conducted and passed lateral flow tests on Monday.
When questioned about the coronavirus protocols, Clarke replied: "It's not my department. My department is getting the team ready for a massive game against Croatia and that's what I have been concentrating on."
And when asked if the situation had hampered his preparations for a game Scotland probably need to win if they are to reach the last 16, Clarke replied: "Obviously, training was a little bit disrupted but the bulk of the work has been done over the pre-camp and the training days earlier in the tournament.
"You saw for yourself [in previous games], the team know exactly what they are doing when they get on the pitch. The team has been organised, they know what they have to do, and that will stand us in good stead."
Scotland defender Liam Cooper admitted news of Gilmour's test had come as a shock.
"Billy has just announced himself on the world stage and now this," the Leeds centre-back said.
"All I can say is that we are thinking of him. I have had Covid myself and I hope he stays symptom-free and he can recover as quickly as possible.
"I know it's difficult but I have spoken to him and he is feeling OK. We just send our love to Billy and hope he recovers as quickly as possible.
"We are gutted for Billy but it gives us that little bit more motivation to go and do him proud and hopefully we can get the job done, get the win, and then we can start looking at the other groups as well."
When asked if it had been a concern that Covid-19 had infiltrated the camp, Cooper said: "It was a shock to us. We stuck to the protocols and then this comes up.
"We just listen to the medical advice. Doc (John) MacLean has been clear and brilliant with us since day one. We have taken precautions around the training camp.
"We are gutted, I am sure he is gutted, but we have got to move on. We have a massive game and one we need to win, and that's where all our focus lies now.
"We have been playing this system under the manager for a long time now and whatever player comes in knows the role and what they need to do."
Former Scotland midfielder Graeme Souness says the loss of Gilmour "knocks us sideways" as Clarke's side target a place in the knockout stages.
Despite only making his full debut against England, Souness believes Gilmour is already an integral player for Scotland.
"He was the best player on the pitch the other day," Souness told Sky Sports News. "It's an enormous blow for him, but what a blow for the nation.
"Just when things were looking good; we were playing good football and he was the star of the show. For this to happen, it knocks us sideways.
"That midfield trio of Callum McGregor, John McGinn and Gilmour were fabulous against England. They were good on the ball, they hunted it down and looked a really strong three. This is an almighty blow for us."
Souness says Gilmour repaid the faith shown in him with a standout performance against England and looked unfazed despite the stakes being so high.
"At 20 years old, what a debut," he said. "He only had five starts for Chelsea in the Premier League last season so I thought he was going to tire in the second half. But he's obviously got a very good engine, he kept going.
"Going into that game, sometimes even senior players burn themselves with nervous energy. He showed no signs of that and the football he played on that stage, with the pressure on the team, was quite outstanding.
"What a player he's going to be. He keeps the ball in tight spaces and his first thought is to get it forward into the strikers, and he's not afraid to get involved in the meatier side of the game.
"He's an enormous prospect and it's an almighty blow. We'll miss him. I know it sounds daft - his first international game, 20 years old - but we will miss him against Croatia."
