Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has admitted he had no choice but to promote midfielder Billy Gilmour to the senior side as a reward for his outstanding performances in training.
The 18-year-old was called up to the first team in February and wasted little time in making a name for himself, pulling out two man of the match performances against Liverpool and Everton in the FA Cup and Premier League respectively.
Speaking on Sky Sports' The Football Show, Lampard confessed that Gilmour has been one of the side's top performers in training, so it was great to see that translate to success during matches.
"Billy has given me as much pleasure as anyone," he said. "When you look at Billy, he can be quite slight in terms of his size, he's quite quiet, young and polite, but then you train day-to-day with him through the season.
"He moved over to the first team quite a while ago to train because he just had to, because he just trained at such a level. If you have a possession in training, or a small game, just simple passing, whatever, you talk about having the attitude there and getting the basics right.
️ "Iniesta, Cesc Fabrégas, more maestros on the ball, but obviously when I’m training I’ve got Kovacic, Jorginho - I kind of look up to them."
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Billy Gilmore has plenty of inspiration behind his game! | ✍️ @krishan_davis https://t.co/jf8Q8GylEE
"In the modern day it can get lost a bit, doing the basics right, and he does them day in, day out. I'm pretty sure he will because his attitude and family he has around him is good, and he has the talent.
"It was a real pleasure seeing someone come in and do the real midfield basics - and that's not to say he's not a talented player - but the basics of receiving the ball, turning it around the corner, and making all of the right decisions in the game.
"We've had another couple of young players - Tino Anjorin and Ian Maatsen - I don't want to leave out others as they have the potential to come through," Lampard added.
"One of the first things we tried to do at Chelsea was to bring them in and train them, and give them the idea that if they train well in the academy it is flagged, not forgotten, and you can train with the first team.
"It's a huge plus for the club that we have this batch coming through and are showing it, and they have a long way to go, but they will be a huge part of the club going forward for sure."
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Source : 90min