Chelsea youngster, Billy Gilmour, has revealed the elements of awareness and timeliness on the pitch which are essential qualities of a midfielder, having honed his skills watching Cesc Fábregas.
The 19-year-old midfielder broke into the first team in Frank Lampard’s first season as Chelsea boss and has won many admirers across the football world.
After consecutive Man-of-the-Match performances against Merseysiders Liverpool and Everton, the football season was halted due to the Coronavirus pandemic as Gilmour’s meteoric development was placed on pause.
The Scot injured his knee shortly after restart in July and only returned to action last month. He has been talking about the influence of ex-Chelsea maestro Fábregas on his own game.
“When I was watching Cesc, it was all about his forward passes to the striker, whether that was a lofted pass, a clipped ball or just a simple through ball,’’ adds Gilmour.
‘‘He was one of the best at doing that, especially at Chelsea, and I want to add that more to my own game, but it comes first of all from being aware of what’s around you.
‘‘He speaks a lot about the boys because he obviously used to be here but it’s always nice seeing a top midfielder like that comment on your game.’’
Gilmour famously studied clips of Fábregas during his days in the Chelsea academy and the Spanish World Cup winner has been full of praise for his protégé on social media.
Fantastic. Personality on the ball, intelligence in his desicion making, always making angles to offer himself and has that bit of aggression in him which is very important specially in the Premier League. 👏🏻
— Cesc Fàbregas Soler (@cesc4official) March 3, 2020
When you have the quality but also the desire, the work ethic and the intelligence, then is when you can see real potential in a young player. He has all of that.
— Cesc Fàbregas Soler (@cesc4official) March 3, 2020
“You have to be confident in yourself to go and receive the ball,’ says the teenager. ”You need to be always checking your shoulders and knowing where you are on the pitch. If you don’t do that, you’re going to get yourself in a lot of trouble.’’
‘‘The game gets quicker and more tactical in the Premier League so you always need to know where you are on the pitch,’’ Gilmour explained.
‘‘It’s then about not taking too many chances, making sure you do things full of confidence, receive the ball with both feet and just trust your own ability.’’
Gilmour has remained tidy and mature in his cameo appearances since his return from knee surgery. He was afforded 90 minutes in the FA Cup third round against Morecambe and – with N’golo Kanté out with injury and suspension – looks set to keep his place against Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday.
