World Cup 2026: How Lewis Ferguson became Scotland’s most key player

Ferguson has come a long way since those days at Accies.

A successful spell at Aberdeen helped propel him to Serie A, where he became Bologna captain.

He now has four seasons in Italy and a Coppa Italia under his belt, so by no means is he a left-field pick. Having said that, he has found international appearances hard to come by given the plethora of talent in the squad.

However, misfortune can lead to opportunity. Billy Gilmour’s knee injury in Scotland’s friendly against Curacao last month left a gaping hole in Clarke’s line-up as a holding player behind McTominay.

Ferguson has performed the role superbly.

Against Morocco he managed to break through the line 15 times, the most of any Scotland player going forward.

Astonishingly, he offered himself to receive a pass 76 times during the game. The second-highest figure was 35 from Che Adams.

“The unselfish bit, I enjoy it,” Ferguson told BBC Scotland. “I’m representing my country – I’ll play any role.

“I played it a lot when I was younger. The manager has found a role that suits me.

“You do a lot of the dirty work – covering the ground, protecting the lads behind you, feeding the lads in front of you. Tackles, duels – it’s part of my game. It’s massive within the team.

“The games have been pretty physical and I’ve enjoyed it.

“As long as I know I’m happy with my performance in the team and the manager is happy with my performance in the team…

“There are very few people in this world that I listen to – myself, my manager and my dad.

“I’ve been happy with my performance recently, but there’s more to come.”