Darren Fletcher inspired by Andy Murray's rise to summit
Murray became the world No 1 tennis player last weekend and will be at Wembley with around 14,000 of the Tartan Army – probably more – for the crucial 2018 World Cup qualifier in which the visitors are massive underdogs after taking only four points from their first three Group F games.
However, Fletcher, 32, pointed to Murray’s battle to get to the top of his sport as an example the Scottish players could tap into as they look to get their qualification campaign back on track against the group leaders.
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Hide Ad“I think he is coming to the game which is great,” he said. “He will be like all the rest of the Scotland supporters I am sure, supporting his country.
“For us he is an inspiration for what he has achieved in tennis. His never-say-die attitude, looking to keep improving and battling for a number of years against arguably some of the greatest tennis players of all time and to keep driving himself forward to try to improve those small margins.
“He has fought to be the No 1 tennis player in the world so we can take inspiration from him as a sportsman, showing that there is no real ceiling on what you can achieve if you dedicate yourself. If you have real dedication and desire, you can achieve almost what you wish.”
Contrary to popular perception, Fletcher insists the game against England is not must-win.
The West Brom midfielder said: “It is Scotland versus England at Wembley and as a Scotsman and Scottish football player it doesn’t get much bigger. That it is a competitive game to try to qualify for the World Cup, makes it even that more significant and what a fantastic occasion it is going to be and one that I am thankful I am going to be involved in.
“I don’t think it is a must-win or anything like that but if we can get a result down here – not that we are playing for a draw – we are still involved in the group with big games coming up in 2017.”