The Scots last featured at the showpiece tournament in 1998.

The Catalan is reportedly in the final days of his Etihad reign, though there has been no official comment from the club, who still have an outside chance of sealing a domestic treble.

Alcaraz sustained the injury during the first round of the Barcelona Open last month and subsequently pulled out of tournaments in Madrid and Rome and then Roland Garros, where he is the reigning two-time champion.

Portugal and Ronaldo, the all-time leading men's international goalscorer with 143 goals, have never won the FIFA World Cup.

Concerns have been raised on the workload management of the 32-year-old Jasprit Bumrah, who plays all three formats for India and is currently playing for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL.