The Tyler Fletcher Scotland World Cup squad call up has generated passionate debate across the land. Should Steve Clarke have called up someone else to replace the injured Billy Gilmour? Or was the Tyler Fletcher Scotland selection the right choice for the World Cup squad?
This article has been updated post-publication to include the above subsequently taken image.
Tyler Fletcher v Curacao
As per our article following up the Curacao game, Tyler Fletcher subbed on at half-time on Saturday in the Hampden Park friendly international, 4-1 win versus Curacao. Fletcher moved into the DM position played by Billy Gilmour before Gilmour subbed off injured in the 42nd min.
Fletcher looked a natural in filling the role, always composed & undaunted. 33 of his 38 passes gave him a pass completion rate of 87%, and very much looking the part as an international class midfielder. Bear in mind though, 10-man Curacao had lost a player to a red card before Fletcher joined the fray. Flashscore rated Fletcher’s performance at 7.0.
Tyler Fletcher Scotland World Cup squad selection
Steve Clarke stated post-match:
“Obviously I’ve got Connor Barron, Andy Irving, Lennon Miller, and you see for yourself how good young Tyler is.”
Clarke’s praise for Fletcher supplemented comments in the press by Kenny McLean:
“Tyler came on and I can’t speak highly enough of him. I said to the lads after his first session ‘I can see something special in him’ so I was glad he got on after the week he has had.”
Hence, there was no surprise when Fletcher was announced on Sunday as Gilmour’s replacement. Clarke subsequently remarked after landing in USA:
“I’m comfortable with the decision I made. But there was a lot of thinking to do. I didn’t sleep much on Saturday night. There was a lot of thinking around the three boys who I had on stand-by. Three really good boys who had been part of the squad before. But then you look at young Tyler who had come into the squad and trained really well. In the lead up to the game all the coaching staff were really impressed. I think you saw a little snippet from him in the second half on the pitch against Curacao.”
“To move him above the other three was difficult. But, after 62 years and a long time in the game, I have to trust my judgement. And at this moment in time I just felt that Tyler had shown in that camp that he can be a big player for now and a big player for the future. Including Tyler was a tough decision but like I say, I have to trust my judgement.”
Tyler Fletcher club experience
Fletcher has only 17 mins + stoppage time of experience playing for the Manchester United 1st team. Those 17+ mins were acquired from 2 EPL sub appearances against Tottenham & Brighton.
Despite being only 19, Fletcher has a wealth of experience playing for Man U at U21 level. For example, he has played 2,410 mins at that level this season alone. He ended the season as United’s U21s Player of the Season, despite having only turned 19 in March.
Obviously, he impressed sufficiently to be promoted to the 1st team squad in February this year, in which he made his 1st team debut v Spurs. He has for the most part been around the Man Utd 1st team squad since, appearing unused from the bench 10 times. He was invited to the 1st team squad end of season dinner, organised by club captain, Bruno Fernandes. Fletcher is expected to remain part of their 1st team setup in pre-season. As a character, he is known at United as confident & driven, and also polite & conscientious.
Tyler Fletcher Scotland experience
19-year-old Fletcher has more 1st team experience at international level than he has at club level. Specifically, the 45 mins + stoppage time he played on Saturday, exceeds the 17+ mins of 1st team action he has at club level.
Further, Fletcher at international level has 24 age group caps; 20 at different age groups with Scotland & 4 for England U16s. His debut & sole cap for Scotland U21s was in March, 12 days after his 19th birthday.
Tyler Fletcher Scotland comments
Tyler Fletcher stated the following in March, when also mentioning his father, former Scotland Captain Darren Fletcher:
“I want to play for Scotland. I want to get as many caps as I can for Scotland. They are the team I want to play for. It will always be Scotland over England for me. The aim for me is to have a career like my dad and beat his cap tally. Getting called up for the Under-21s was a proud achievement for my family and me. My dad loves seeing me play for Scotland.”
He added:
“He’s been the biggest influence in my life and there’s no better person I could ask for advice. I look up to him. If I could even do half of what he did in his career, I’d be thrilled. He just tells me to keep working hard and enjoy it. A football career goes so fast you just have to enjoy every moment and that’s what he tells me.”
Fletcher added regarding his twin brother Jack who represents England U19s:
“Playing for England is an unbelievable achievement for him, but hopefully one day he’s back with us.”
Other factors in the Tyler Fletcher Scotland World Cup squad selection
Clarke, his coaches and the senior players in the squad had a good look at Fletcher last week. Hence, they have been able to lay eyes on Fletcher to assess his footballing intelligence, ball control, physique, composure, maturity, character and anything else about him. Clarke is also best positioned to know what he wants from whoever replaces Gilmour in the squad. That could be either as a straight swap for Gilmour as a DM, or somewhere in CM if Clarke moves other players around the football chessboard.
Jack McGrath
Fitba.scot has repeatedly advocated that with 26 places available in the squad, one should be allocated as a wild card selection for a young, elite level prospect. Fitba.scot suggested as the optimal candidate, Jack McGrath. Subsequently though McGrath seemed the wrong selection. Specifically, that was when Jamaica announced they had poached Caelan Cadamarteri for their Unity Cup squad, played in London last weekend.
Caelan Cadamarteri
16-year-old Caelan was born in Cupar during the 18-month spell his father, Danny Cadamarteri, played for Dundee United. Aged 15, Caelan chalked up 24 goals & 10 assists in 23 games for Sheffield Wednesday U18s in the season before last. A deal worth up to £1.5 m took him last Summer to Manchester City. In his 1st season since joining City, he notched 35 goals & 12 assists in all age group competitions he played in, including in his Scotland age group games. In total he has 6 strikes in his 12 international appearances since debuting for the Scotland age group setup in October 2024. This includes that he has already scored for Scotland U19s as a 16 year old.
His elder brother, Bailey, is already established as a full Jamaica international. Despite Caelan ultimately not playing in the Unity Cup this year, clearly the Jamaican FA have used that competition as a vector to establish and build a relationship with Caelan. That further complicates that as well as having played youth football for Scotland, he made 2 appearances for England U16s in 2024.
Tyler Fletcher Scotland World Cup wild card
That a spot in the Scotland World Cup squad has been assigned to another elite level prospect, namely Tyler Fletcher, is excellent news. FIFA rules state that any player who plays for a team at the World Cup or a continental football finals for a senior national team, is immediately tied to only being able to play for that nation. In Fletcher’s case, that is strategically excellent for Scotland and worthwhile reward for a prospect with such a high ceiling. He isn’t just a good player for the current squad. All being well, he looks a great prospect for future squads.
Are there negative implications from players not to make the squad?
Could Fletcher’s meteoric rise in status in the Scotland setup, potentially cause animosity among players who didn’t make the squad? Steve Clarke has repeatedly stated how much importance he places on loyalty. Has Clarke potentially alienated himself among players who were left out at Fletcher’s expense?
Much of that may come down to expectation management. When Clarke announced his 26-man squad, some players outside the 26 were placed on standby. That Fletcher has subsequently been called up, clearly Fletcher must have been in the initial 55-player squad that Clarke was required to previously submit to FIFA.
Were Barron, Irving & especially Miller aware Fletcher was also on standby? Clarke as a man-manager likely let the other players know that Fletcher was among the 55. Clarke as boss often has difficult, ruthless decisions to make (in many people’s eyes, he isn’t ruthless often enough and instead is overly loyal to established regulars in his squad). If he has been transparent with his players, he has done his job.
Clarke has subsequently stated:
“Every player I had a doubt about I spoke to in March because I wanted to do it face-to-face. Over the phone is not a good way to do it. Then you follow it up with the courtesy call at the end of the season to say, ‘Sorry you’re not involved,’. But I had a little text conversation with Lennon and he’s fine. People around about him maybe not. But he’s fine.”
Is Lennon Miller on the end of a No Dickheads Policy?
Some have alleged Lennon Miller has fallen foul of, Oli McBurnie style, a Scotland squad No Dickheads Policy. That is following Miller’s comments in March 2025:
“I’m obviously not going to go in and be the best player there, but I believe I could maybe in a couple of months be the best player there.”
Going by Clarke’s comments above though, that allegation seems far fetched. That is all the more so considering all 4 of Miller’s senior caps were attained subsequent to making those comments.
Was Steve Clarke’s Tyler Fletcher Scotland decision correct?
In the current opinion of fitba.scot, very much so. Time will tell. At this stage though, Steve Clarke’s Tyler Fletcher Scotland squad selection, seems understandable for both short & long term benefits.
