TIME is the one opponent that no sportsperson can outrun. The uncertainty over Andy Murray’s hip issues notwithstanding, thankfully many members of Scotland’s top echelon of sporting talent – say Laura Muir, Duncan Scott, Josh Taylor, Stuart Hogg and Andy Robertson - are a good age and in rude health, in other words well placed to continue grabbing the headlines for years to come. But there is always a new wave of heroes bubbling up underneath and looking to steal their share of the limelight. Herald Sport has contacted the soothsayer before fearlessly predicting a couple of these and up-and-comers who might just hit the mainstream in the next 12 months. No pressure then.

Reece McFadden (boxing)

THE contrasting fortunes of same-day Commonwealth gold medallists Taylor and Charlie Flynn only proves that charting the progress of a pugilist in the pro ranks isn’t the easiest of tasks. So many pitfalls lurking around every corner. It isn’t enough to be prodigiously talented – you must want to punish your own body as much as that of your opponent, surround yourself with the right people to allow you to succeed and also have a generous slice of good luck.

Motherwell’s Reece McFadden, now 23, didn’t always get the breaks he might have during his amateur career. The flyweight was twice on the wrong end of shocking semi-final decisions which left him with Commonwealth bronze rather than the chance to fight for gold. That perhaps owed something to his flashy, showboating style but there is a sense after he threw his lot in with MTK Global a few months ago that it might translate pretty well to the pro ranks. A great technician with an easy, instinctive style, McFadden won his first pro fight on points against Nicaragua’s Elvis Guillen but with the right application and guidance there should be much more to come.

Billy and Charlie Gilmour (football)

NO bloodline connects these two, just a shared football DNA. Glaswegian youngster Billy, still just 17, left Rangers for Chelsea amid interest from Bayern Munich and Barcelona. Having starred at last summer’s Toulon Tournament, he has four goals and three assists for Chelsea’s Under-23 side this term and all he needs is an opportunity to find himself in the environs of Maurizio Sarri’s first team.

His namesake Charlie first came to the attention of the Gunners at the age of six, his Scottish-born father Ian running a local football school. Now 19, he has developed into a composed defensive midfielder, who has two first-team appearances for Unai Emery’s side to his name, his debut coming with 14 minutes as a sub against Virksla Poltava in the Europa League. Charlie’s international record includes caps for Scotland Under-15s, Under-16s, Under-17s and Under-19s, plus England Under-16s and Under-17s. As a footballing nation, we might be moving in the right direction if we can pair those two in the midfield, and find room for Celtic’s Karamoko Dembele too.

Erin Cuthbert (football)

THIS one is a bit of a cheat, as Cuthbert is already a household name. Not only did this 20-year-old become the first ever female player to score for the country at a major finals, last year she the international player of the year award at the Scottish Women’s Football Association awards, while a video clip of her bamboozling an opponent at Brighton and Hove Albion with a cheeky backheel nutmeg in a recent FA Women’s Premier League match for Chelsea went viral. With her club side in the quarter finals of the Women’s Champions League when it resumes in March, then there is the small matter of featuring for Scotland in their maiden World Cup appearance – and a tricky old group featuring Argentina, last time’s runners up Japan, and England. Even for a team blessed with talents such as Kim Little, Lisa Evans and Jane Ross it is a daunting challenge but one this gallus native of Ayrshire will tackle head on.

Jamie Ritchie (rugby)

THE next 12 months represent a giant year of rugby and this burgeoning Edinburgh back row, still just 22, looks like he might just be a big part of it. A product of the same Strathallan School which brought you swimmer Duncan Scott, the 6ft 4in Ritchie won a British silver medal in Judo as a teenager and dabbled in cricket before deciding to specialise in rugby. While the wily John Barclay is scheduled to return in time for the Six Nations, Ritchie is a gifted athlete and one of the coming men of Scottish rugby. Still only has four international selections to his name, all coming last year, but it should be fun to watch him develop.

Jemma Reekie (athletics)

THIS 20-year-old athlete could hardly have positioned herself better in the chasing pack looking to follow in Laura Muir’s slipstream. A long-term training partner under highly-rated coach Andy Young at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Reekie was recently included on the UK Athletics World Class Performance Programme in the Olympic Podium Potential section, which suggested she has realistic medal-winning capabilities at future Olympics. A European junior champion from Grosseto in 2017, hopefully the next 12 months will see her injury free and continuing to make serious strides in the sport.

AND ANOTHER THING ...

ALL eyes will be on the Ettihad tonight as Manchester City play host to Liverpool in the most eagerly-awaited Premier League match of the season. Victory for Jurgen Klopp and co would see them open up a commanding ten-point lead on their title rivals, triumph for Pep Guardiola's men would leave a flimsy four-point margin between the teams. Tottenham Hotspur hope to sneak up on the rails but it will be interesting to see if this battle between two managers with such attack-minded philosophies develops into an all-time classic. Don't bet on it, even if the return of Fernandinho to the City ranks will bolster a side who haven't had a clean sheet in their last seven games.