Scotland Men's Football Team

George O'Neill
BBC Sport Scotland

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The success of Italy's Scottish imports has been widely covered in recent seasons, a hype which has reached new heights in the past 12 months with Napoli's Serie A title success.

Scott McTominay was the leading light for Antonio Conte's side, while Billy Gilmour also played a crucial role as they beat Inter to the Scudetto.

Elsewhere, Lewis Ferguson won the Coppa Italia with Bologna, Che Adams scored 10 goals for Torino and Josh Doig helped Sassuolo to the Serie B title.

One man who knows the ins and outs of Scottish and Italian football more than most is Kilmarnock icon Manuel Pascali, who now commentates on Serie A alongside a burgeoning coaching career.

"McTominay has been incredible. He was the difference in of presence and leadership," Pascali told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"All credit to Gilmour as well. When he has been called into action, he was incredible. Such a composed played, tidy on the ball."

When asked to explain why Scottish players tend to thrive in Italian football, Pascali says it boils down to mentality.

"They are soldiers with a mission," he said. "This is what Scottish people are about. You can trust them, you can rely on them.

"For example, if Italian players don't play 10 games, they give up and want to swap teams.

"Watch Gilmour for example playing not many games, but every time he's been called, he was magnificent, the quality has never dropped."

Napoli's duo were not the only Scots to win silverware in the 2024-25 season and Pascali says Ferguson's success with Bologna means he is now viewed as an honorary Italian.

"Ferguson is almost Italian now because he's been for Bologna three seasons," Pascali said. "At the moment he is the skipper.

"They won the Italian Cup after 41 years. I was at the game at the Stadio Olimpico. I saw him and had a chat with a couple of his friends coming from Scotland with the Scottish flag on."

Adams' Torino finished 11th in Italy's top flight after a flying start to the campaign and Pascali says the former Southampton striker is best deployed in a front two.

"Torino started very well," Pascali said. "Adams did a nice job, scoring nine league goals. The main difference was an injury to Duvan Zapata, who was the main man up top playing alongside Adams.

"Adams is the kind of striker you want in your team, he runs a lot, he is quick and powerful. He needs to play with another striker though."

And Pascali touched on Doig's Sassuolo, who he says were simply too strong for the other sides in Serie B.

"Sassuolo last season had a nightmare - they basically got relegated because they lost Domenico Berardi to injury.

"Doig is a player who has a great engine and Sassuolo were too good in Serie B."

John Carver has signed a new three-year contract with Lechia Gdansk and is set to continue to combine his job with being Scotland assistant after steering the Polish top-flight club clear of relegation after arriving in December. (The Herald On Sunday), external

Everton are considering Ben Doak in a potential move driven by manager David Moyes and Liverpool are prepared to sell the 19-year-old Scotland winger but value him at £30m. (Ben Jacobs on X), external

Should Everton succeed in their bid to sign Liverpool winger Ben Doak, for whom bids from Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town were rejected in January, he would be the first player to directly transfer between the two clubs in 23 years. (TalkSport), external

Read Sunday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay scored a spectacular scissor-kick volley to help Napoli beat Cagliari 2-0 and secure their fourth Serie A title.

McTominay, who was ed in the starting line-up by fellow Scotland midfielder Billy Gilmour, has scored 12 goals and contributed four assists throughout the campaign and was named Serie A Player of the Season shortly after the conclusion of the game.

They become the first Scots to lift the Italian title since Jack Diment and James Squair helped Juventus finish top for the first time in 1905.

With second-placed Internazionale leading 2-0 at Como, Napoli had to win to finish top of Serie A.

Gilmour was denied a first senior goal of his own by a fine save from visiting goalkeeper Alen Sherri as the hosts dominated the opening stages.

But McTominay, who ed Napoli from Manchester United in a £25.7m move in August, made the breakthrough when he acrobatically connected with Matteo Politano's right-wing cross.

Romelu Lukaku sealed it with Napoli's second goal after the break as they celebrated becoming Italian champions again having done so in 1986-87, 1989-90 and 2022-23.

Scotland and Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay, 28, is on a three-man shortlist for Serie A midfielder of the year. (Sun), external

Read Thursday's Scottish gossip

Scotland assistant John Carver, who took charge of Polish top flight club Lechia Gdansk in November, is a contender to become the next manager of Kilmarnock. (The Herald), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Head coach Steve Clarke says he has "always had an eye on" Kieron Bowie after handing the Hibernian striker his first Scotland call-up.

The 22-year-old forward has six goals in 22 appearances in all competitions for the Easter Road club this season after battling back from a hamstring injury he picked up on Under-21 duty.

"He's had a good season, Kieron is one I've always had my eye on from the Under-21s," Clarke said after naming his squad for the friendlies against Iceland and Liechtenstein.

"Any time I watched the Under-21s he always stood out. He's big, physical and strong with good attributes to his game.

"Going into the summer, you've got Lawrence Shankland and Kevin Nisbet, I know what they can bring, so it was just to have a look at something a little bit different and see if we can expand the pool of players.

"I keep talking about trying to get an overall bigger pool of players that we can select from and these games are a chance to look at one or two.

"You're looking for somebody to catch your eye. You want competition between them.

"That's why sometimes when you bring in some of the younger boys, the older boys are suddenly looking over their shoulder and thinking, 'aye, aye, he's thinking of something different'. It keeps them on their toes as well."

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Steve Clarke addressed the media after naming his Scotland squad for friendlies against Iceland and Liechtenstein in June.

Here are the key things the head coach said:

• First-time call-up Kieron Bowie is one Clarke has "always had an eye on" and has called him up to "look at something a little bit different".

• The friendlies present a "good chance" to look at "one or two" different players in the hope of expanding the pool of players available.

• With that in mind, the head coach did it the goalkeeping department was "an area of concern" with Craig Gordon and Liam Kelly both ruled out through injury while Robbie McCrorie and Cieran Slicker have had limited minutes.

• Clarke joked he is on the search for players with "Scottish grannies".

• Clarke's assistant, John Carver, has been nominated for manager of the year in Poland and while he its he'd "never hear the end of it" he hopes Carver wins and he can continue to serve in both posts.

• He noted that Aaron Hickey was "close to selection, but not close to playing".

Scotland forward Lawrence Shankland, 29, wants his future decided quickly as he plans discussions with expected new Hearts manager Derek McInnes. (Record), external

McInnes' input will be a key factor in Shankland's decision. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription required), external

Scotland internationals Oli McBurnie and Scott McKenna could leave Las Palmas following their relegation from La Liga. (Scotsman - subscription required), external

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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 ing 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 er, 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."