Thomas Tuchel talks up Billy Gilmour, but youngster has to make do with 4th choice

Once again Thomas Tuchel was gushing over the talent of Chelsea’s Scottish under-21 international midfielder Billy Gilmour.

Ahead of Chelsea’s FA Cup 5th Round clash against Barnsley this evening, the German boss has been taking questions in the press conference, which went on longer in the non-live section that gets released later in the evening.

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Gilmour was the subject, and the 19-year old could be handed a rare chance to start this evening.

Tuchel clearly rates Gilmour, but he has also admitted that it will be hard for him to break into this team due to the quality he has ahead of him, naming him 4th choice for the midfield positions.

As reported below, Tuchel spoke extensively about Gilmour’s qualities once again, but he may well have to wait if he is to get a long run in the first team with the current crop ahead of him.

Tuchel said:

“I wanted him to stay [in January] because he has a big impact in training games and his quality is obvious. We are happy to have him and are absolutely ready to push him and support him on his way.

“First of all, I like him as a person. For me, he represents everything a young guy from the academy should represent when he arrives in the first team.

“He is humble. I feel that he’s happy to be here, that he’s living his dream. He’s ready to give everything to fulfil his dream. He gives me the impression that he doesn’t think, ‘this is the end of the road, now I’ve made it’.

“He gives me the exact right feeling, the exact perfect mix of being humble and being impatient and trying every training session to improve, to learn and not showing too much respect [to the older players].

“As a player, he has a lot of qualities. He is very self-confident in our training games, is very strong on the ball, is a very strong passer, and is very smart in finding positions.

“The other three players are Kovacic, Jorginho and N’Golo Kante. That means it’s not easy for Billy to find his place, but he’s the no.4 right now in my head & to be the no.4 for two positions is a pretty good start for Billy.”

Quotes via Absolute Chelsea.

 

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