Scotland midfielder Billy Gilmour has admitted it will take time to come to terms his World Cup heartache after being ruled out of the tournament due to injury.
Gilmour was forced off with a knee injury during the first half as Scotland beat Curacao 4-1 at Hampden last Saturday before the team flew out to America the following day.
The 24-year-old Napoli star underwent scans immediately after the match and was pictured leaving the team hotel on crutches.
He was consoled by manager Steve Clarke, captain Andy Robertson and the rest of the players after seeing his boyhood dream of playing in a World Cup cruelly snatched away.
Gilmour has since been replaced in the squad by Manchester United teenager Tyler Fletcher, but he insists he will be giving the team his full support as he watches on from home.
BIlly Gilmour goes down injured during Saturday’s win over Curacao
Gilmour leaves the Scotland squad hotel on crutches after being ruled out of the World Cup
Writing on social media, Gilmour said: ‘I haven’t got the words to describe how I’m feeling right now.
‘Being so close to a childhood dream of mine, to play in a World Cup, and now it has been taken away from me with an injury. It’s been a tough one to get my head around.
‘Your support and kind messages over the last few days mean the world to me and haven’t gone unnoticed, so thank you so much.
‘I’ll see you all back doing what I love again soon, but until then, let’s get behind the team and cheer them on. Come on Scotland!’
Preparing for their first crack at a World Cup in 28 years, Clarke and his players have been acclimatising in the States since arriving.
They will face Bolivia in their final warm-up match in New Jersey on Saturday night, looking to build on the performance against Curacao.
The Scots start their Group C campaign against Haiti in Boston on Sunday, 14 June, before playing Morocco and Brazil.
