Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has revealed the club will consider recalling Billy Gilmour from his loan at Norwich early if he is not given more game time, but also urged the midfielder to fight for a starting place.
Having made a very promising start to a season-long spell at Carrow Road, Gilmour has lost his place in Daniel Farke's side and has not featured in their last five league matches, despite some abject displays from the Canaries.
Having managed to land the coveted loan target in the summer, Farke said last month that Norwich are 'not here to develop players of other clubs'.
Asked about the Scotland international's predicament ahead of facing Malmo in the Champions League group stage on Tuesday, Chelsea boss Tuchel said: "I spoke to Daniel [Farke] and Billy [Gilmour] about the situation and we will make the decision in January.
"He left looking for more minutes and game time at another club and the challenge is for him to fight his way through.
"Things are not going as well as he perhaps hoped but it's not the moment to cancel the whole project or open talks to bring him back."
Tuchel continued: "Sometimes these weeks and months arrive when the situation doesn't seem to be going the right way - you just have to hang in there and show your quality and make sure you help your team, no matter how.
"That sharpens the character and I am sure it will be a big chapter in Billy's career.
"It is only the start of November and there are still months to go and a lot of time to prove he has enough quality to help Norwich be a better team."
Should Chelsea decide to cut short the 20-year-old's stint in Norfolk he will have no shortage of suitors in the Premier League.
Source : 90min