Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said he will have the conversation with Billy Gilmour about potentially going on loan for regular football.
When the likes of Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic have struggled to really cement their spots in the line-up, some people are understandably concerned about Gilmour’s game time.
The 19-year-old has just returned to the team after a knee injury and has made just one appearance as a substitute for the senior team so far.
Lampard confirmed that Gilmour will start against Krasnodar on Wednesday, but was questioned whether it would be better for the teenager to leave on loan for regular first-team football.
“With Billy, I don’t want to have that thought or conversation until the [transfer] window is open and it’s not open now,” he told reporters in his pre-match press conference on Monday (via Chelsea’s official YouTube channel).
“I value him a lot in this squad.
“We have a lot of options in midfield, [but] that can quickly change as we’ve seen with the wingers situation.
“Hakim [Ziyech] got injured at the weekend, Callum [Hudson-Odoi] got injured and the numbers are not so great.
“So I’ll make that decision going forward.”
While a loan spell could certainly benefit Gilmour, Lampard also had a point.
The Blues have lost four midfield options this season after Ethan Ampadu [Sheffield United], Ross Barkley [Aston Villa], Ruben Loftus-Cheek [Fulham] and Conor Gallagher [West Brom] leaving on loan.
Gilmour himself refused to comment on the issue.
“Obviously, I’m a Chelsea player right now and I don’t know what the future holds but I’m proud to be here and playing games,” the midfielder said during the press conference.
“We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”
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