Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has singled out youngster Billy Gilmour for praise, in particular for his recent cameo performances.
Gilmour, 19, missed the opening months of the season with a long-term knee injury and has been slow getting back to full speed.
The Scottish teenager is a highly-rated talent that has shown he can compete at first-team level.
He’s an all-action central midfielder that is aggressive with his tackling and has a great work-rate, but perhaps his greatest asset is his quality with the ball at his feet, plus his range of passing.
The youngster is a fully integrated senior player after stepping up from youth level and he’ll now be targeting more minutes.
Ahead of this weekend’s FA Cup tie with Morecambe, Lampard has been highly complimentary the Chelsea youngster for his most recent performance.
Gilmour entered the action midway through the second-half in last weekend’s 3-1 defeat to the Premier League, where he at least managed to show some composure in possession and a glimpse into his ability.
“Been delighted with him. His attitude in rehab is kind of what I expected, but it’s great to see him do everything right,” Lampard said, as quoted by the club’s official website.
“Against Krasnodar I thought he was fantastic. Against Manchester City, a really difficult game to come into, showed personality and quality. I’m delighted to have him ready to go. Billy is going to be a huge player for this club.”
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Chelsea need something fresh this weekend in the cup and hopefully they can secure a win against League Two opponents Morecambe to at least try inject some positivity to the squad.
Gilmour has the dynamism in midfield to lift the team, with his tenacity and quality.
It won’t be a surprise to see him start in Sunday’s cup fixture and it’s clear he’s got the trust of his manager.
Chelsea have just one win in their previous six league games, so Gilmour is one of the fringe players in the squad that should be pushing to get a chance in the top-flight.