Mark McGhee bel ieves Scotland star Billy Gilmour may have finally turned a corner at Brighton after two years in the wilderness.
Former Scotland No. 2 McGhee lives in the town and watched with delight as the midfielder revived his career with the Seagulls.
The 21-year-old had been a bit-part player since coach Roberto De Zerbi replaced Graham Potter as boss at the Amex Stadium in September.
He made just four starts in seven months and McGhee feared he’d need to find a new club to prove himself.
But Gilmour has made the most of a rare chance following a spate of injuries.
The Scot ran the show in the 6-0 home win over Wolves last weekend then pulled the strings again in Thursday’s dramatic 1- 0 victory over Manchester United.
McGhee hopes Gilmour has finally shown to De Zerbi he’s indispensable. He said: “I think there was a suspicion Billy might just have been too wee for the Premier League but he’s dispelled that myth in the last couple of games.
“Billy was brilliant against Wolves. The annoying thing is he could have been doing this months ago because Brighton’s style suits him – they play to his strengths.
“The great thing is that he hasn’t just taken his chance and done well – he has been excelling and will feel the season is ending too soon.”
It has been a bleak two years for the former Rangers wonder kid, who has struggled to make an impact on loan at Norwich from Chelsea and then at Brighton.
McGhee said: “I thought he might need to find another club to get game time.
“Fortunately, he’s proved that the people – like myself – who believed in him were right to do so.
“For creative players, confidence is a super-power and his will be through the roof right now.
“That’s great for him, Steve Clarke and Scotland.”