Scotland star in race to make World Cup qualifiers and Serie A start as club issues 34-word statement

Ferguson was expected to be part of the Bologna squad to face Stuttgart in a pre-season friendly on Saturday. However, the Rossoblu have announced that he will not feature in the match.

An update from Bologna read: "Lewis Ferguson, following a strain sustained in training, has suffered a first-degree lesion to his left calf. He will undergo therapy and individual training in the coming days. Recovery time is approximately three weeks."

Former Hamilton and Aberdeen player Ferguson is one of Bologna’s key players and captained them to Coppa Italia glory last year, defeating AC Milan in the final. The 25-year-old battled back from an ACL rupture to regain his place in the team for the climax to Serie A, with Bologna narrowly missing out on Champions League qualification.

His calf injury means he is a major doubt for Bologna’s Serie A opener away to Roma on August 23, and also the home match against Como seven days later.

Ferguson’s fitness issues will also cause some concern to Scotland head coach Steve Clarke, who will name his squad for the September World Cup qualifiers against Denmark and Belarus later this month.

Capped 16 times by Scotland, Ferguson was involved in the summer friendlies against Iceland and Liechtenstein. He missed out on last summer’s European Championships and had been expected to be a prominent member of the squad.

Scotland face Denmark on September 5 in Copenhagen, before heading to Zalaegerszeg in Hungary to face the Belarussians.