Scott McTominay back in training as Scotland prepare for World Cup opener

Scott McTominay is back in training ahead of Scotland’s World Cup opener against Haiti.

The 29-year-old Napoli midfielder was conspicuous by his absence at the Atrium Health Training Centre in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday after going down with a stomach complaint.

Dinamo Zagreb defender Scott McKenna was another absentee as he nursed a knock. He did not train on Friday and Clarke confirmed he will miss out.

But on Friday, after the Scots arrived in Boston, McTominay took to the training field in Foxborough. He is expected to be fit as the Scots get their Group C campaign under way in Boston during the early hours of Sunday morning.

Kenny McLean confirmed the importance of the Napoli midfielder – whose overhead-kick opener against Denmark is displayed as a mural on a gable end near Hampden – to the Scotland team.

The former St Mirren and Aberdeen midfielder said: “I don’t think I need to speak too much on him, everybody knows what Scotty brings.

“It’s quite apparent how big a player he is for this.

“It has been a team effort and it always will be a team effort but when you’ve got special, special players like that, of course you want them to be available, I’m sure will be.

“He’s obviously desperate to be, again, his preparations have been amazing apart from maybe something he ate somewhere along the line, but he’s up on a mural for a reason.

“He’s a special talent, special player, an amazing guy, an amazing part of the team, a big character around the place but it’s a real team effort and I’m sure Scott would be the first one to say that.”

Scotland will head into the game looking for a fast start to the competition with Morocco, who made the semi-finals in Qatar four years ago, and five-time winners Brazil waiting in the wings.

Meanwhile, Morocco, Scotland’s second Group C opponents, have made two last-minute replacements to their squad.

FIFA’s official website shows that Marwane Saadane and Amine Sbaï have replaced defender Nayef Aguerd and winger Abde Ezzalzouli on the eve of their opener against Brazil on Saturday.

Real Betis winger Ezzalzouli went off at half-time in the 1-1 World Cup warm-up draw with Norway with a leg injury and was set to undergo scans.

First-choice centre-back Aguerd from Marseille has been out for three months with a groin problem.

Noussair Mazraoui was also forced off with a shoulder knock but head coach Mohamed Ouahbi allayed fears the Manchester United defender could miss out against Brazil.