He may not even have made his debut for the Ibrox side, but he has been a ray of hope in what has been a desperately disappointing campaign
PROFILE
Aged only 15, Rangers youngster Billy Gilmour finds himself a wanted boy. Chelsea beat the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal to sign the Scottish youngster, who is already tipped to become a top talent for both club and country.
With the Glasgow giants struggling in third position in the Scottish Premiership and lagging Celtic by a massive margin, the promise of Gilmour has been one of the few rays of positivity for the Ibrox faithful this term.
While the youngster has already been burdened by a dangerous weight of expectation, the club are, nevertheless, hopeful that he can breakthrough and shine in the first team.
“Billy is a talented player and I’m sure many clubs are looking at him,” former Gers boss Mark Warburton said. “Our job is to show him the pathway there is to get to the first team.
“I like to think we can keep him here, develop him and he can play in the first team.”
With so much interest from England, not to mention the likes of Bayern Munich and Barcelona, Rangers face a difficult challenge to keep a figure upon whom so many hopes are already pinned.
While Dembele only featured off the bench, though, Gilmour was one of the star turns as Scotland finished second in the competition to Republic of Ireland.
The most striking thing about the promising player is his poise on the ball. Even when he receives possession in tight spaces under pressure, he is comfortable taking the ball and pivoting away from multiple opponents. His balance is remarkable and his patience in possession while waiting for the correct option to open up in front of him has the air of a far more mature player.
Arguably what is most impressive about him is that it is his technical abilities that allow him to stand out. Often in the mid-teens, it is a physical advantage that allows players to excel, but Gilmour has yet to fill out significantly. Though he may be on the scrawny side, he has shown that he is not scared of putting himself into a tackle and is deceptively strong on the ball against his peers.
Those days, however, are a long way off for this young Scot. He may be prodigiously talented, but for the time being he is just that. Other players have developed at Rangers with similar promise, with the most notable recent example John Fleck, only to fail to make the grade.
Gilmour has the talent to make it to the top, now he needs to prove that he has the mentality and work ethic - regardless of whether he is at Rangers or elsewhere.
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