Scotland’s Ferguson ruled out of Euro 2024

MILAN: Lewis Ferguson will miss Euro 2024 ater his club Bologna confirmed on Monday that the Scotland midfielder will go undergo surgery for a knee ligament injury.

In a statement Bologna said that their captain Ferguson “has sustained an injury to his cruciate ligament. He will undergo an operation, ater which his recovery time will be assessed.”

Ferguson, who suffered the injury during Bologna’s goalless draw with Monza on Saturday, will be out of action for months.

The 24-year-old will have to sit out the Euros, which are being held in Germany from June 14 to July 14, and Bologna’s bid for a first ever appearance in the Champions League.

Seven-time Italian champions Bologna played one round in the old European Cup in 1964, the same year that they most recently won Serie A.

Ferguson, who has 12 caps for his country, has blossomed since moving to Italy from Aberdeen in 2022, scoring six times this season for Thiago Mota’s Bologna who currently sit fourth in Serie A.

Scotland will kick off the Euros in the opening fixture with hosts Germany in Munich, and will also take on Hungary and Switzerland in Group A.

Meanwhile, Norwich City defender Grant Hanley is hopeful of a return from injury in time to make Scotland squad for Euro 2024.

Hanley, who has been capped 48 times for his country, has only been involved in nine games this campaign ater a disrupted return from a serious Achilles injury sustained at the end of last season.

“It might sound a bit cliche, but you’ve got to be playing at your club, and you’ve got to be playing well,” Hanley told BBC Radio Norfolk.

“I’ve not got much time to do that, but hopefully I can get back involved before the end of the season. Hopefully I can get involved with the play-offs and let’s see what happens.

“The decision was ‘do I carry on not being able to perform, or do I take a step back and improve physically?’

“I’ve experienced a major competition before with Scotland and the downside to that one was it was during Covid when the stadium capacities were majorly reduced.

“It was still an unbelievable experience, probably one of the best experiences of my career, but this one’s proper, playing the hosts in the opening game in Munich.

“So obviously that would be an unbelievable thing to be involved in.”