Scotland Men's Football Team

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From a near career-ending injury to captaining Bologna to a Coppa Italia triumph, Lewis Ferguson has completed the most heroic of comebacks.

Vincenzo Italiano's side edged out AC Milan 1-0 to win the Coppa Italia to secure a place in next season's Europa League, and their first major trophy since 1974.

The former Hamilton Accies and Aberdeen midfielder suffered a cruciate ligament injury in April of last year that ruled him out of Scotland's Euro 2024 squad, only making his return from injury in November.

"I mean, you think about it, he's coming off the back of last season being voted in midfield of the year and [then] gets a career-threatening injury," Maurice Ross said on the Scottish Football Podcast.

"He then comes back in time, and he's now won a trophy abroad, which not many people can say they have done. I think it's a fantastic achievement."

Ross thinks attention may now turn to where Ferguson will play his football next season, with a possible move to a "bigger club" a possibility.

"And yeah, he deserves all the plaudits he's getting," Ross added

"And it'll be interesting to see what's next for him because I think he's done enough to warrant being mentioned with the bigger clubs abroad and in the UK."

Ryan Gauld's recovery from an injury picked up in March threatens to prevent the Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder from taking part in Scotland's June fixtures. (Football Scotland), external

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Hearts and Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon has reiterated his desire to extend his long career but is yet to agree a new deal at Tynecastle.

The 42-year-old is nearing the end of his current contract and reckons the club's search for a new manager will delay a decision on his future.

"I've spoken to the club a couple of times," he told BBC Scotland.

"Obviously we don't have a manager in place at the moment, so things will probably take a little bit longer.

"We'll continue to speak and we'll see what the new manager's plans are when he comes in.

"I just want to play for as long as I can. We'll see how long that is."

Having been overlooked for Euro 2024, Gordon has once again established himself as first choice for Scotland and has no plans to retire from the international scene.

"I'll keep going as long as I possibly can," he said. "I'm really shortening up my goals and just looking one step at a time, one game at a time at the moment.

"I'll concentrate on finishing the season as strong as I can and then see what happens this summer and beyond."

On playing for Scotland, Gordon, who has 81 caps, said it was "the best feeling", explaining: "To walk out, especially at Hampden, to see that crowd and know that everyone is behind you, it's always been the best part of my career.

"I've been so lucky to do it the amount of times I have and that feeling never gets old. When you're standing singing the national anthem, to hear the stadium sing it back, I don't think there's a much better feeling you can get in football."

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Should Lennon Miller's next step be a move to the continent to follow in the footsteps of some his new Scotland team-mates?

Fresh from winning PFA Scotland's young player of the year award, speculation continues to surround the 18-year-old's future.

With just over a year remaining on the midfielder's Motherwell contract, the club will have a big decision to make if offers come their way this summer.

So, too, will Miller. Is it time for the Lanarkshire side to cash in and for the teenager to move on?

If so, would taking inspiration from the likes of Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmour and Lewis Ferguson be beneficial?

McTominay and Gilmour are excelling at title-chasing Napoli since joining the Serie A side last summer, while Ferguson continues to thrive at Bologna.

And A View From The Terrace presenter Craig Telfer sees no reason why "phenomenal" Miller can't emulate the Scotland trio's success in Italy.

"He seems to be like the complete midfielder," Telfer said on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast. "And I think if you're a Motherwell supporter, you're just enjoying him while you can.

"Because there's no doubt about it. If it's not this summer, if it's not in January, he'll be playing his football elsewhere.

"I really hope that if he does move on, he goes to the continent, he goes to somewhere like Italy. We're seeing the likes of McTominay and Gilmour thriving at Napoli.

"I really think Miller's got all the tools to make it out there as well."

Scotland right-back Aaron Hickey, 22, is set to return to first team action with Brentford after 18 months out. (Scotsman - subscription required), external

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Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Young player of the year nominee Lennon Miller says he's learned a lot from the "mistake" he made with his terminology that left him feeling like the world was against him.

The Motherwell midfielder's first international call-up last month was most notable for the headlines he caused by revealing he wanted to be Scotland's best player "in a few months".

What he meant to say was that in striving to be the best player he can possibly be, he hoped one day to overtake the likes of Scott McTominay, John McGinn and Billy Gilmour in the international pecking order. It's a long-term ambition, rather than a quick fix.

"That's how it was supposed to come across. I've obviously added the 'few months' bit which is a mistake on my part but I want to be the best player," said Miller.

"Whether that's with Motherwell or with Scotland, I want to be the best. The 'in a few months' was a mistake on my part but that is what I want to be.

"At the time I didn't really think anything of it and then you get the few news bulletins who've picked it up wrongly. That's different for me, I've never really had that side of things before. I just try to focus on the football side."

Thankfully for the Motherwell captain, the whole episode hasn't left a sour taste in his mouth. He now knows just how careful you have to be with your every word.

"When I found out [about the call-up], I didn't really know what to think, what to do. It was a pretty surreal moment. And then you say a few wrong words and it feels like the world's against you, basically," said Miller.

"I feel like everybody that was involved backed me and it was nice to hear a few words from people who've played and the manager as well which helped. It was a surreal moment to be involved in and hopefully I'll be back there soon."

If Miller keeps up his club form, a return to the international fold is a certainty. Despite an injury-hit campaign, there have still been flashes of the talent that propelled him into the Motherwell first team six days after his 16th birthday. Still only 18, Miller already feels more mature.

"I feel like I've come on as a player and a person in the last year," he added.

"The captain's armband has probably helped that. Getting that at such a young age, more responsibility.

"You've senior guys in there that have played a lot more games than me that probably felt they could have been the captain and it was me who was chosen, so that was a nice moment that has helped me."

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Scotland winger Ben Doak has confirmed he will miss the rest of this season with a thigh injury.

The on-loan Liverpool winger shone for Middlesbrough in the first half of the campaign, but last featured for the Championship club on 25 January.

He had surgery on his thigh in March before returning to Liverpool to undergo his rehabilitation.

The 19-year-old also missed Scotland's Nations League double header against Greece last month and has posted on Instagram to confirm his absence will extend into the summer.

"Not the way I wanted to finish this season off through injury but what a time I've had here," Doak said.

"Thanks to all the players, staff and fans at Middlesbrough for making my time at the club as good as what it was.

"I will be forever grateful and wish everyone at the club the best of luck for the future."

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Che Adams equalled the haul of goals scored by Scotland legend Denis Law at Torino with his 10th of the season against Udinese on Wednesday night.

The Scotland striker opened the scoring in the 2-0 Serie A win for the Turin side, matching the milestone his countryman set in 1961-1962.

That was the record number of goals scored by any Scot in Serie A until Bologna's Lewis Ferguson surpassed it in 2023.

Former Southampton frontman Adams will have the chance to eclipse the club record set by 'King' on Sunday, when he faces his Scotland team-mates Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour in Torino's game with Napoli.

McTominay has 10 goals for title-chasing Napoli, who moved level on points with league leaders Inter Milan at the weekend.

With 21 goals in 41 appearances this season for a struggling Dundee side, should striker Simon Murray be in the frame for a Scotland call-up for this summer's friendlies with Iceland and Liechtenstein?

The uncapped 33-year-old says playing for his country is an "ambition" but insists his full focus is on helping to keep Dundee in the Premiership.

Napoli will push hard to sign Bologna captain Lewis Ferguson, the 25-year-old Scotland international, this summer if their own captain and fellow midfielder, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, moves on. (Napoli Calcio Live), external

Brentford manager Thomas Frank says Scotland defender Aaron Hickey could make a first-team comeback before the end of the season after the 22-year-old made some B-team appearances following a 20-month injury absence that required two hamstring operations. (The Scotsman), external

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has written to Sarah Cardell, the chief executive of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), urging her to investigate "exploitative practices" in youth football after the Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland and youth organisation Real Grassroots lodged complaints about the Scottish Football Association and Scottish Professional Football League. (The National), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Scott McTominay's third goal in two games helped boost Napoli's title hopes as they ended the weekend only behind Serie A leaders Internazionale on goal difference.

The 28-year-old headed in a 72nd-minute Giacomo Raspadori cross to secure a win away to bottom-of-the-table Monza on Saturday.

Reigning champions Inter subsequently lost 1-0 away to Bologna on Sunday.

However, as McTominay took his tally to 10 goals for the season, fellow Scotland midfielder Billy Gilmour was replaced at half-time with Frank Anguissa - the Frenchman having recovered from injury.

Bologna, who were again without injured captain Lewis Ferguson, have meanwhile moved up to fourth place, one point ahead of Juventus, who were due to visit Parma on Monday before the fixtures were postponed following the death of Pope Francis.

Another Scottish midfielder, Liam Henderson, set up Empoli's opening goal for Jacopo Fazzini as they drew 2-2 at home to Venezia in the relegation zone.

Henderson's side remain second bottom, behind Sunday's visitors on goal difference but now just a point behind Lecce, who lost 3-0 at home to Como.

Scotland centre-half Scott McKenna and striker Oli McBurnie both started as Las Palmas boosted their hopes of avoiding relegation from La Liga with a 1-0 win at home to Atletico Madrid thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Javier Munoz.

The victory lifts the Gran Canaria side above Alaves, who are one point behind in third bottom after their 1-1 draw away to Sevilla.

In England, Kieran Tierney was a 73rd-minute substitute in second-top Arsenal's 4-0 win away to Ipswich Town, with Oleksandr Zinchenko having started at left-back.

However, Liverpool remain 13 points clear after a 1-0 win away to Leicester City for which Scotland captain Andy Robertson was dropped to the bench, with Kostas Tsimikas starting at left-back.

Craig Gordon says there has been no progress made about his own future with Hearts and the 42-year-old Scotland goalkeeper is just going to "see what happens" when his current contract ends in the summer. (The Scotsman), external

Read Monday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Scott McTominay grabbed a double for Napoli in what is now the highest-scoring league season of his career as two fellow Scots found the net in the German and Spanish top flights.

The 28-year-old's latest goals in his debut campaign in Italy helped Napoli defeat Empoli 3-0 as they reduced the gap between themselves and Serie A leaders Internazionale to three points with six games left to play.

McTominay gave Napoli an 18th-minute lead with a low driven shot from the edge of the penalty area following a neat lay-off from Romelu Lukaku and headed his side's third off the underside of the bar midway through the second half.

He was denied a hat-trick by a post soon after, with his total now eight goals in Serie A this season.

Fellow Scotland midfielder Billy Gilmour also started for the hosts, with compatriot Liam Henderson in midfield for Empoli, who remain 19th in the table, two points adrift of relegation safety.

Meanwhile, Scotland forward Oli Burke scored both goals for Werder Bremen in a 2-1 win away to Stuttgart that lifts his side up to ninth in Germany's Bundesliga and on the brink of qualifying for Europe for the first time in 18 years.

Burke is out of contract at the end of the season, but head coach Ole Werner was quoted as saying he hopes a new deal can be agreed.

His fellow 28-year-old, Oli McBurnie, scored again - just a week after grabbing his first La Liga goal - as Las Palmas won 3-1 win away to Getafe.

The Scotland cap finished off a flowing move on the hour mark either side of goals from former on-loan Rangers forward Fabio Silva as Las Palmas came from behind to defeat their 11th-placed, 10-man hosts and move above Leganes into 18th place and one behind Alaves and relegation safety.

Scotland centre-half Scott McKenna also started for the visitors, while in England, new cap George Hirst started up front for Ipswich Town in their 2-2 Premier League draw away to Chelsea.

Midfielder John McGinn swept home Aston Villa's third goal in a 3-0 win away to Southampton, Andy Robertson found his own net in Liverpool's 2-1 win over West Ham United, while fellow left-back Kieran Tierney started Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Brentford.

In the Championship, uncapped Ryan Hardie scored Plymouth Argyle's opener in their 2-1 win over Sheffield United.

Werder Bremen head coach Ole Werner hopes a new deal can be agreed with Scotland cap Oli Burke, who is out of contract this summer, after the 28-year-old forward scored a double - to take his total to two goals in as many games - in their 2-1 win away to Stuttgart. (The National), external

Kieran Tierney rejected offers from Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, Everton, Juventus and Sevilla as the 27-year-old Scotland defender sealed a summer return to boyhood club Celtic from Arsenal six-and-a-half years after leaving in a £25m deal. (The Herald), external

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Scotland midfielder Lewis Ferguson, 25, believes he has achieved his initial goal of becoming a better footballer since moving to Italy. (Transfermarkt), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip

Adam Binnie
BBC Sport Scotland

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Scott McTominay is the "perfect player" for Napoli boss Antonio Conte, according to Italian football expert Carlo Garganese.

The Scotland international, who joined the Serie A side from Manchester United last summer, has scored seven goals from midfield in an impressive first season in Italy.

"McTominay has been one of the first names on the team sheet all season," Garganese told BBC Scotland.

"He's been superb. He's been the perfect Conte player. He's all-action, enjoys late runs into the box, has a great shot, great finisher and he's really good in the air.

"He's settled in well and loves Italy. He did a great interview last week actually saying how much he loves the place.

"He loves the food. He made a reference to how much he's fallen in love with eating tomatoes. He said in Scotland that they're just red water!

"So that was a really nice story and the fans loved it."

Garganase, who co-hosts the Italian Football Podcast, has also backed McTominay's international team-mate Billy Gilmour to make a bigger impact next season.

"He's been unlucky because Conte has used a midfield three of McTominay, Stanislav Lobotka and Frank Anguissa, and once he's got a first choice XI, he sticks with them," added Garganase.

"They played basically every game until about a month ago when Anguissa got injured.

"Gilmour then came into the team, he played a few games in a row and he played really well. He was outstanding actually.

"I think he's won Conte's trust. He's still not a first-choice player, but I think he's fourth in that pecking order.

"And if you look ahead to next season, I think with some of the other players getting older, we can probably look to Gilmour being more of a key player going forward."

Napoli missed out on the chance to cut the gap on Inter at the top of the league table to just one point when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Lewis Ferguson's Bologna on Monday.

Ferguson was withdrawn from the starting XI minutes before kick-off but has impressed since returning from a long-term absence through injury.

"[The injury was a] huge shame because he was having an incredible season and he was probably going to get a big move," Garganase says.

"I know Juventus were interested in him last summer. The big injury meant he didn't come back until the latter part of 2024, and as a result he's come back and he's playing in a deeper position this year.

"Last year he was more of an attacking midfielder, this year he's been playing in a double pivot in midfield in a 4-2-3-1.

"Maybe that's a reflection of not quite being physically 100% yet after such a serious injury, but he's been having a great season.

"It's been another fairy-tale season for Bologna and Ferguson has played an important role in that again."

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Bournemouth's Ryan Christie is already a doubt for Scotland's June friendly at home to Iceland as two fellow international midfielders also suffered injury blows.

Christie said on social media it is "time to heal" following a groin injury that has prevented the 30-year-old playing a full 90 minutes for the Premier League side in recent weeks and will require surgery.

Lewis Ferguson was forced to miss Bologna's 1-1 draw with Napoli on Monday after the 25-year-old, who has been linked with a summer transfer to the visitors, picked up an injury during the warm up.

Scott McTominay returned from illness that forced him to miss Napoli's previous game against AC Milan to start for the visitors, taking the place of Scotland team-mate Billy Gilmour, who had started their five previous games.

However, McTominay was forced off shortly after Bologna's equaliser, with Gilmour replacing him for the final 20 minutes of a draw that leaves Napoli second in the table, three points behind Internazionale, and their hosts in fourth - one point behind Atalanta.

Two players who have fallen out of favour under Scotland head coach Steve Clarke found the net at the weekend.

Oli McBurnie, who last played for Scotland in March 2021, ended an eight-month wait for his first goal in La Liga by scoring in Las Palmas' 3-1 defeat by Real Sociedad on Sunday, firing home from close range after being set up by former Rangers loan forward Fabio Silva.

The striker became only the second Scot to score in Spain's top flight in 38 years, following in the footsteps of Oli Burke, who netted for Alaves during a loan spell from West Bromwich Albion in February 2000.

Fellow 28-year-old Burke, meanwhile, on Saturday scored his fourth Bundesliga goal of the season for Werder Bremen, who currently lie 10th in the table.

The forward, who was last capped in November 2020, headed his side's opener from a corner kick in a 2-0 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt in his fifth consecutive start in the German top flight.