Chelsea youngster Billy Gilmour joined the Blues from Scottish side Rangers in 2017 as a 16-year-old, and it hasn’t taken the youngster a long time to break into the Chelsea first team.
Just before the suspension of the season, Gilmour produced a masterclass performance in midfield against Liverpool and Everton, and the teenager was named man of the match in both games.
The 18-year-old has now revealed how he used to watch former Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas and learn from his game. According to Gilmour, he looked up to the likes of Fabregas and Barcelona duo Xavi and Andres Iniesta, but it was Fabregas he watched first hand in training and learnt one-touch football from the Spaniard as well as how to get out of tight corners.
Gilmour told BT Sport: “We had to analyse our own game and then compare it to a player. I thought I would do Fabregas. Growing up, Iniesta, Xavi, Fabregas were the type of players I would base my game around, how I play.
“Fabregas’ one-touch play and playing around the corner, how he could get out of tight areas, it was incredible. “There was no better player to pick and when I came into first-team training a few times when he was there, it was great to see him.
“I could watch him in training and see how he put it into a game. I was trying to take some of that stuff from training with him and take it into my game.”
In the current Chelsea setup, Gilmour also revealed that he has been looking up to Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho in midfield. He added: “In training, I am always watching them and trying to copy what they have been doing.
“They have been brilliant with me off the pitch as well. They are always talking to me, just asking about my upbringing, what it was like at Rangers and getting to know me as well as me getting to know them. “They are helping me out. It’s quite surreal. They are top players and I train with them and play with them week in, week out. It is something I can only dream of.”