New Chelsea starlet Billy Gilmour is followed by some of Europe’s biggest clubs following his man of match performance against Liverpool.
18-year-old midfielder Gilmour won the award after Liverpool’s fifth-round FA Cup loss on Tuesday as he helped the Blues claim a brilliant 2-0 victory over the Premier League champions elected.
Despite his youth and light figure, Gilmour dominated in the middle of the park – and he was even compared to Manchester United legend Roy Keane by former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino.
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It was a performance by Billy Gilmour
Tony Cascarino says Chelsea teen Billy Gilmour reminds him of Manchester United legend Roy Keane
The young Scottish has been talking about the city since his superb presentation, and it is now obvious that he was noticed even further.
According to El Desmarque, Real Madrid and Barcelona have started following Gilmour after his great performance with a view to a possible future swoop for the teenager.
Manchester City is also cited in the report as being passionate about Gilmour, with Pep Guardiola “infatuated” by the former Ranger player who moved to Stamford Bridge in 2017.
Gilmour has been a member of Frank Lampard’s first team all season, but has recently been promoted to full-time on the senior team.
He has played six times for the Blues – making two Premier League appearances on the bench – and is expected to make his first high-flying start on Sunday when Everton visits west London.
Lampard admitted after Liverpool’s defeat that he had no problem throwing Gilmour into the mix despite his youth and inexperience.
“I have absolute confidence in Billy,” said the Chelsea boss. “I remember when he first entered Sheffield United, we drew and people interviewed this boy who looks like a 15 year old boy.
“I remember someone told me this individually. But I have no problem with him because if he is small, he is huge in personality and also huge in talent.
“And for me, for a midfielder, I have a lot of questions.
“Do you want to receive the ball in all positions, at all times? Yes, it does. Do you want to make angles, can you choose the right passage? Yes, it usually does. Are you going to set foot? Yes, it does.
“He does all the right things and he is humble.
“And his whole family was here tonight, I think his nan and grandfather were from Scotland.
“And what a performance; not just as a young player joining the team, it’s a level – he played as a top player against top players. So it was a great performance. “
