Blues boss Tuchel adamant Gilmour should be in Scotland Euros’ squad
Thomas Tuchel has told Scotland to pick Billy Gilmour for the summer’s European Championships.
Chelsea boss Tuchel revealed he made the decision not to let Gilmour head out on loan in January.
Scotland Under-21 midfielder Gilmour broke through in style under Frank Lampard last season at Chelsea, but now sits behind N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic in the Stamford Bridge pecking order.
The 19-year-old has the talent to grace Scotland’s senior squad, but currently not the stage to showcase that ability – but Tuchel believes he still merits a call-up.
Asked if denying Gilmour a loan in January was an error, Tuchel replied:
“It’s absolutely no mistake. It was unfortunately not his choice, it was my choice.
“The choice was made for Chelsea and not for the personal goals of Billy. He accepted it in a five-minute talk, he had no problem with it.
“I actually hope he knows how much I appreciate him as a person and as a footballer.
“He has three big problems. N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho are three big problems.
“They are never injured and they perform on a level in central midfield that is not easy to compete with. This is the only thing.
“I have no trust issue with him. I have no problem with attitude.
“I can only strongly recommend the Scottish national team to nominate him because this guy trains on the highest level. They should not be
worried about his ability to compete.”
Former Rangers youth star Gilmour will be available for action if required in today’s FA Cup quarter-final against Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge.
Tuchel admitted he has already sought out Gilmour for several chats, almost apologising for not being able to find a regular place for him in Chelsea’s match squads.
“We take the decisions for Chelsea and the squad is by far not too big; I feel Billy is a strong part of the squad,” said Tuchel.
“I know it is hard for him and we talk now several times because sometimes he does not make it to the 18 because we play with two central midfielders and I already have one of the three guys I mentioned on the bench.
“I go for other options to cover other possibilities during a match but it does not mean when you are out of the squad like Billy, that you first have to find your way back to the bench, then you have to find your way back for five minutes, then you can start.
“You can start right away the next game. It can happen when you train in a positive attitude like Billy and with the quality he shows.
“This is the situation. Nothing has changed. I am super happy he is here. We need four strong midfielders.”
Meanwhile, caretaker-boss Paul Heckingbottom has told his Sheffield United side their shock win at Manchester United proves it is possible to knock Chelsea out.
The Blades, the Premier League’s bottom side, sprung a major surprise in January when they triumphed 2-1 at Old Trafford, inflicting the hosts’ first defeat in 14 league matches.
The quarter-final contest comes four days on from the Blues beating LaLiga leaders Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge as they advanced into the last eight of the Champions League.
Heckingbottom, who oversaw a 5-0 loss at Leicester in his first match in charge on Sunday, said: “It (Chelsea’s tie against Atletico Madrid) shows the size of the task. But it’s also a one-off game.
“Everyone wrote this team off before they went to Old Trafford and pulled off the win there. So we know the size of the task, but we also know it’s possible. That’s it, simple. If we didn’t think it was possible, we may as well give them the round.
“It’s a fantastic experience, a great game to play in and they don’t come around very often – no matter how long your career is, quarter-finals of the FA Cup don’t come around often.
“We need to have energy, we need to have discipline, but also when we get the ball, we have to be good enough to hurt them as well.”