Joe Cole picked out youngster Billy Gilmour as a shining light from Chelsea’s 1-1 draw against Russian club Krasnodar on Tuesday night.
The Blues wrapped up the Champions League group stages with a draw at Stamford Bridge, with top spot and qualification to the knockout rounds secured before a ball was kicked.
Jorginho’s first-half penalty cancelled out a Remy Cabella opener to mean each team settled for a draw and Chelsea can now focus on domestic football until the New Year.
Frank Lampard’s side, which included 10 changes from the weekend, showed flashes of great moments against Krasnodar without really kicking into full gear.
Cole believes that Gilmour was one major positive from the European contest.
The 19-year-old started his first game of the season after slowly returning from a knee injury and the central midfielder looked like he’d never been away from the XI.
“I think there were some positives. I think Billy GIlmour was excellent and he got 90 minutes under his belt,” Cole BT Sport 3 (10:00pm, 8 December).
“I thought he was very good. I thought he was one of the shining lights… It would’ve killed him being injured because he’s one of them that loves the game. He’s competitive, he has a lovely awareness of what’s around. He’s such a good player.”
Despite being one of the youngsters in Chelsea’s first-team squad, Gilmour looked the part in Tuesday night’s Champions League fixture and helped control the game in the centre of the park.
The Scottish teenager showed real intent with the ball at his feet to get forward and he made some intelligent turns, plus he did the defensive work out of possession.
He’s facing serious competition to nail down a spot in the XI, but surely hasn’t done his chances any harm with his latest contribution.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
