Frank Lampard: Billy Gilmour ticks my three boxes for starting spot in Chelsea midfield

Frank Lampard believes young midfielder Billy Gilmour has all the attributes to succeed at Chelsea following his impressive performance against Liverpool.

The Blues inflicted a third defeat in four games on Jurgen Klopp’s men, winning 2-0 to progress in the FA Cup, and Gilmour particularly caught the eye with his supreme midfield performance.

Can Gilmour succeed at  Chelsea? Five things to know…

• Gilmour has made six senior appearances for Chelsea in all competitions this season.
• The 18-year-old already has two substitute appearances in the Premier League under his belt.
• Gilmour played a starring role as Chelsea beat Liverpool 2-0 in the FA Cup on Tuesday.
• No player made more tackles (5) than Gilmour during the match at Stamford Bridge.
• Lampard believes Gilmour has all the attributes to be a long-term success at Chelsea.

No player made more tackles (5) than Gilmour, while the Scottish teenager completed the third-highest number of passes (37) among Chelsea players.

And after the game, Lampard — a world-class midfielder himself during his playing days — lavished praise upon Gilmour, highlighting the key attributes which suggest he has a bright future in the game.

“What an incredible performance for a young player. He was a calm head in that first five or 10 minutes,” Lampard said.

“He’s a throwback of a midfielder. Can you put your foot in? Yes. Can you make angles to play the passes? Yes. He’s only slight in stature but he’s huge in personality.

“He deserves people to talk about him after a performance like that.”

Gilmour has now made six senior appearances for Chelsea across all competitions this season, including two outings from the bench in the Premier League.

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He is one of a number of academy graduates entrusted with first-team football since Lampard entered the Chelsea dugout, and the former England international insists he’ll be trusting Gilmour further as the season progresses.

“I’ve got absolute trust in Billy,” he added.

“When you watch him play, I remember when we drew against Sheffield United and people asked me after the game ‘This kid looks like a 15-year-old’.

“But I’ve no problem with him because if he is small in stature he is huge in personality and talent.”

Chelsea host Everton in the Premier League on Sunday.