Ferguson hopes for long-term Scotland midfield partnership with Gilmour

Lewis Ferguson hailed the return of Scotland team-mate Billy Gilmour and said he hopes their midfield partnership can flourish for years to come. Injuries have prevented the pair having much of a run together in the national team, with Ferguson missing Euro 2024 before Gilmour also suffered a devastating blow when he was ruled out of the World Cup in the summer. However, after the duo impressed in Saturday's goalless draw against Slovenia, Bologna's Ferguson hopes that is about to change. "I missed him over the summer. He's a good friend of mine," Ferguson said. "We're really close. We've got a good relationship on and off the pitch. We work well with each other. It was great to be back alongside him. "We've played loads of times together, whether that was in the Scotland Under-21s or in the Rangers youth academy as well. It was great to have him back." Gilmour missed the World Cup in the United States after sustaining a knee injury during Scotland's warm-up match against Curacao at Hampden in May. He did travel to support the team, but only as a spectator. The Napoli midfielder is now back playing for his club and country, and Ferguson could not be more delighted. "I'm so happy to see him back this season and playing football, which was so important for him after a difficult summer," Ferguson added. "We've both had those setbacks and similar experiences. I've known Billy since I was nine or 10 years old. We've watched each other grow. We've played with each other in the Scotland Under-19s, Under-21s and first team. It's a nice story. "I love playing beside him. I think we work well with each other. We've probably never had that chance to get a run in the team together. "I thought it worked at the weekend. I thought we played pretty well in the middle of the pitch, especially in the second half when we were so dominant. "I certainly enjoy playing alongside him and hopefully there are many more times."