Scotland have been rocked after Billy Gilmour received a positive coronavirus test result ahead of their crucial clash with Croatia tomorrow.
Gilmour will now self-isolate for 10 days, ruling him out of the Group D decider and any potential last-16 clash. The England squad have not been affected by Gilmour’s positive reading, with all 26 squad members returning negative results.
The Chelsea midfielder was handed his first Scotland start in the 0-0 draw with England on Monday and walked away with the man of the match award following a mature display.
Steve Clarke will now have to prepare to face a Croatia midfield which includes Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic without his star man.
A statement this morning read: "The Scottish FA can confirm that a member of the Scotland National Team playing squad, Billy Gilmour, has tested positive for COVID-19.
"Having liaised with Public Health England since the positive test was recorded, Billy will now self-isolate for 10 days and therefore miss tomorrow’s UEFA EURO 2020 Group D match against Croatia at Hampden."
The point earned against England means a win against Croatia at Hampden Park tomorrow will almost certainly see Clarke's side advance from the group on four points.
Former Scotland captain Graeme Souness described the news as an "almighty blow" for the nation.
"Just when things were looking good, we're playing good football and he was the star of the show,” he said on Sky Sports.
“For this to happen, that knocks us sideways. This is an almighty blow for us."
Scotland had to ramp up their coronavirus protocols during their preparation for Euro 2020 after Sheffield United defender John Fleck returned a positive test which saw a further six players miss a warm-up game against the Netherlands as a precaution.
