BILLY’S UP AND UNDERS
Gilmour in 21s squad but still on standby for Euro play-off role
CHELSEA wonderkid Billy Gilmour could still be fasttracked into Steve Clarke’s squad for the Euro 2020 play-offs – even though he’ll be named today in the Under-21s set-up.
Record Sport understands Clarke has held urgent discussions with young guns boss Scot Gemmill after Gilmour’s sudden emergence as a first-team starter at Stamford Bridge. The
MALKY MACKAY has been impatient for Billy Gilmour to arrive on the scene since he first saw him as a 16-year-old.
But the SFA’s performance director insists it will be for Steve Clarke to decide when the wonderkid is ready for a full Scotland call-up.
The Chelsea midfielder has been earning rave reviews for his controlling midfield displays for Frank Lampard’s team over the past week or so.
Firstly, he ran the show as the Blues dumped Liverpool out of the FA Cup before punishing the other half of Merseyside at the weekend, pulling the strings in Chelsea’s 4-0 drubbing of Everton.
Naturally, calls for Gilmour to be included in Clarke’s Scotland squad for the massive Euro 2020 play-off semi-final against Israel have only grown louder.
But it’s expected the 18-year-old will remain with Scot Gemmill’s Under-21 squad which is set to be announced today.
Clarke is thought to be reluctant to promote Gilmour too soon, and while technical director Mackay understands why that may be the case, he has no doubt that the Ardrossan boy will be one of the main men for years to come.
Asked if Gilmour was ready to face Israel he said: “That is purely up to the manager, not for me to go anywhere near.
“I know we have a youngster who will become the player of the next generation for Scotland. It’s up to the manager to decide when that happens. Steve regularly speaks to myself and Scot Gemmill concerning the players and has obviously been to watch him.
“I am also conscious we have a jam-packed midfield of talented players in Scotland, by far our strongest area.
“In the meantime Billy will continue to be a mainstay of the 21s. It is his first Under-21 campaign, he is only 18, so he may have two more campaigns in him.
“Do I think he will get to that point if he keeps going the way he is going? No I don’t.
“We have six months of this campaign until such time as Steve calls and says he is not with you any longer. That’s to still pan out.”
Mackay has been excited by Gilmour since he first laid eyes on the precocious talent and while there may be a hesitancy about rushing him into the senior squad, throwing him in early at Under-21 level showed how good he can be.
He said: “I have been impatient since the day I saw Billy, praying for him to hurry up. He will become the player of the next generation. THE player.
“We had a chat with the staff and said Christian Eriksson played for Denmark at 18 and we have a kid who has the potential to be a top, top player.
“There is some good talent coming through now but I have not seen someone like him for years. Scot and myself were taking the Under-21s to Toulon and had a wildcard spot for a 20th player.
“We decided to give it to the 16-year-old to see how it went.
“My thoughts are to fast-track talent as quickly as possible if they are physically okay.
“Our first training session was at Oriam before we flew out and within an hour Scot is looking at me and thinking ‘wow’, nodding ‘yes’ because the 20-year-olds were giving the 16-year-old player the ball which is always a sign.
“He didn’t play in the first game, we started him against France, a fantastic team and he was showing maturity beyond his years to the point where he started the semifinal and captained the team in the third and fourth-place play-off, scored against South Korea, the youngest scorer at that age level.
“We have been impatient for the years to keep moving. He has the potential and capability to be the best player we have had in years.
“I’m not going to tag him with any name but I can only say I have been excited about him since he was 16, for Scot and myself to say come and play with the 21s at one of the world’s most prestigious tournaments, outside the World Cup, for Under-21s.
“They gave him Breakout Player of the Tournament. On the front cover of the brochure for that tournament they put the top 100 who have played in it and it’s a who’s who of the best players over the last 25 years.
“When the French manager comes up and says, ‘Who is your No.7?’ at the end of the game he has done okay.”
If Gilmour is to remain with the Under 21s there are no concerns about toys being thrown out of the pram, having shown he’ll pull on dark blue at any age group.
Mackay said: “I don’t think Billy has ever missed a camp. He has a desperate desire to pull that Scotland jersey on.
“One of the good things, he was involved with 17s, 19s, and 21s and I asked him to go back to the 19s and captain them in the elite round of the Euros with Billy Stark and there wasn’t even a blink, it was, ‘Of course’.
“He was someone we are particularly very proud of what we are seeing.”