Kristi Montgomery Receives First Scotland Call-Up for Nations League

Kristi Montgomery has been handed her first Scotland call-up as Sebastien Pocognoli rips up the old script for the Nations League.

The Blackburn Rovers midfielder steps up from the Under-21s after Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean withdrew from the squad, leaving sizeable gaps in experience and leadership. Scotland face Slovenia twice, as well as Switzerland and North Macedonia, in a demanding block of fixtures that will test the depth of Pocognoli’s first squad.

Montgomery, 22, has quietly built a strong case. She has started all eight Championship matches for Tony Mowbray’s side this season, trusted at the heart of a Blackburn team that leans heavily on her energy and discipline. That club form has now pushed her into the senior picture at a time when Scotland are short of familiar faces.

Tierney and McLean, with 119 caps between them, are the latest senior figures to drop out of contention. They follow an experienced trio already missing before Pocognoli named his group: Scott McTominay, Che Adams and Lawrence Shankland were all unavailable, stripping Scotland of goals, physical presence and big-game know-how in one hit.

So the door has swung open. Hard.

Montgomery becomes the eighth uncapped player in a 27-strong squad that looks fresher, riskier and far less predictable than in recent years. She joins Luke Graham, Robbie Ure, Luis Binks, Colby Donovan, Jon McCracken, Josh McPake and Stephen Welsh in a sizeable rookie contingent that will have to grow up quickly on the international stage.

There is a different kind of story in the recall list. Oli McBurnie returns to the fold, along with goalkeeper Scott Bain, Kieron Bowie, Josh Doig, Lennon Miller and James Wilson. All have hovered around the national setup before; now they are back in from the cold with a new head coach keen to reassess what they can offer.

Billy Gilmour’s name stands out. The Napoli midfielder is back after injury robbed him of a place at the World Cup, and his return immediately lifts the technical level of the midfield. His absence opened a route for Manchester United teenager Tyler Fletcher to impress with the Under-21s in the USA, and Fletcher stays at that level this time as Gilmour reclaims his spot among the seniors.

Big calls always mean big omissions. Dominic Hyam, Lyndon Dykes, George Hirst, Grant Hanley, Anthony Ralston and Ross Stewart are all left out by Pocognoli, a clear sign that reputations alone no longer guarantee a seat on the plane. Some are short of minutes, some out of form, others simply overtaken by the new wave.

This is what a reset looks like. A new coach, a reshaped core, and a Nations League campaign that will ask whether Scotland’s next generation can handle responsibility as quickly as Montgomery has earned her chance.