Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard has suggested midfielder Billy Gilmour could still leave the club on loan in January, despite the young Scotsman impressing in recent protests.
Lampard was speaking after Gilmour excelled in the center of the park as his Blues side secured their place in the FA Cup fifth round with a 3-1 victory over Luton Town on Sunday.
The 19-year-old has also been a standout performer in Chelsea’s third round victory over Morecambe a fortnight ago, despite only making two Premier League appearances this season.
Billy Gilmour leads the midfielder ??
92.6% pass accuracy
13/16 long balls completed
100% aerial duels won?
2 clearances
1 blocked shot
1 interception
1 tackle#CFC|@billygilmourrr|#CHELUT|#FACup pic.twitter.com/uONVN8Lyd4– ChelseaFCBlogs (@ChelseaFCBlogs_) January 24, 2021
However, despite his side’s struggles in the Championship and the need for a different formula, Lampard revealed after Luton’s victory that Gilmour could still leave this month, although his performance against the Hatters has convinced him that he had the quality to do. a short-term difference.
The head coach said, as quoted by Football.London: “Play like he did today [Sunday] makes it very difficult [not to give him more minutes] because I thought he was exceptional.
“His comfort on the ball, the way he moved it, his discipline, his personality were great. If he plays like he does today, it’s very hard for me not to give him a run.
“With his youth and his injury, and with the tough race we did last month, I found the right time to bring Billy in. Today was the right time and he was brilliant. .
“In the short term for me, looking at things today, he won’t go on loan. Sure, we’ll keep this slightly open until the end of the month, but Billy is a Chelsea player and the level he showed today highlights why he is a Chelsea player in the middle of the park.
