Chelsea

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Premier League • England

Billy Gilmour told he is not the ‘saviour’, as Chelsea starlet subjected to unwanted comparison

Vitaliy Mykolenko challenging Billy Gilmour

Billy Gilmour has been warned he must “offer more” on the international stage for Scotland, in advice that could be echoed for his Chelsea career.

Gilmour has been highly thought of as he has come through the ranks at Chelsea. They signed him from Rangers as a teenager and gave him a first-team debut in 2019. To date, he has amassed 22 appearances for their first team.

Last season, to further his development, they sent him on loan to Norwich City. While at Carrow Road, he made 28 appearances. But that was as part of a squad that suffered relegation from the Premier League.

There was further disappointment for Gilmour when it came to his international duties at the end of the season. Scotland failed to win a World Cup qualifier against Ukraine (who themselves proceeded to lose to Wales), subsequently missing out on a place at Qatar 2022.

Gilmour started Scotland’s loss to Ukraine, but was taken off midway through the second half.

Now, he has been warned by compatriot Charlie Nicholas that he must raise his game. Otherwise, he could follow the fate met by other prospects who fell off the radar – such as ex-Aston Villa product and current Sheffield Wednesday captain Barry Bannan.

Nicholas told the Scottish Daily Express: “Billy Gilmour is a talented player but if he is not careful he could end up becoming the next Barry Bannan.

“Gilmour is a tidy footballer but he has to offer more and we need to stop making him out to be our saviour.

“He struggled in the play-off because he didn’t get on the ball enough – and when he did it was square pass, square pass.

“Let’s hope he can make a greater impact than Bannan – another physically small midfielder who did okay for a few seasons but failed to hit the heights everyone hoped.”

Time for Gilmour to get on track

Gilmour ought to heed any advice that comes his way if he is to make a success of his career.

He is still only 20 years old but has a contract with Chelsea just until the end of next season. He could be at risk of moving on this summer unless they want to renew his deal.

It would be interesting to see what kind of club he would end up at after. TEAMtalk understands Rangers are interested in taking the midfielder back up above the border.

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There is still plenty of time for him to avoid falling by the wayside. The fact he already has 13 Scotland caps at his age is promising.

But he will need to pick his next move carefully. Then, he should start taking games by the scruff of the neck if he wants to stay at the top level.

That said, a career like Bannan’s shouldn’t be written off as a bad thing. Seven years separated the first and last of his 27 Scotland caps. At club level, he only dropped down into the third tier for the season just gone.

Many people would love to have that opportunity. But those same people may feel Gilmour is capable of something bigger.

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