The former Rangers youngster has stepped into the Serie A limelight with a string of top performances recently
14:12, 31 Mar 2025
Billy Gilmour on the pitch for Napoli against AC Milan
Billy Gilmour on the pitch for Napoli against AC Milan(Image: SSC NAPOLI via Getty Images)
Billy Gilmour has revealed the two managers who helped turn his football career around and put his Chelsea struggles behind him.
The Scotland international is lapping it up with Napoli in Italy at the moment, helping Antonio Conte's side mount a serious Serie A title challenge.
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The 23-year-old form Rangers academy player provided the deft assist for Romelu Lukaku's goal during the 2-1 win over AC Milan on Sunday.
Conte has already suggested that Gilmour may play a more prominent role in the next few weeks.
He has had to wait for his opportunities, but nobody is in any doubt that they are coming.
As a teenager, Gilmour’s performances for the youth teams of Rangers and the Scottish national side attracted the interest of not only from Premier League giants, but Barcelona as well.
Speaking to the The Athletic, Gilmour said: "When I was younger, my main aim was to play in the Premier League.
"That was my first dream. But I was always told that my style of play would suit playing abroad.”
He struggled to establish himself at Chelsea, spending a season on loan at Norwich City before a permanent move to Brighton and Hove Albion in 2022.
“It showed me the other side of football, it put me on the right path," he explained.
“Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi changed how I played, how I saw football.
Roberto De Zerbi was Brighton manager for 18 months
Roberto De Zerbi was Brighton manager for 18 months(Image: Getty Images)
“At Chelsea, I was always in and out, not finishing games. In my first season at Brighton, I was doing the same.
"But in that second one, because we were in Europe as well, I was playing lots of games, I was fit and confident. I was at my very best.”
Gilmour and fellow Scotsman, Scott McTominay, live close to each other, share the services of the same a private chef and sit next to each other at mealtimes and in the dressing room.
Gilmour has needed to be a little more patient than he might have liked to join the ever-growing list of Scottish regulars in Serie A.
“I want to play as much as possible, obviously,” Gilmour said. “But we have a great squad, with really good players. We have a manager who understands when players are hurt, or when they need resting.
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"We train hard and we work hard. The senior players, (Giovanni) Di Lorenzo, Politano, Leonardo Spinazzola: they make sure the standards are high, all of the time. They don’t let you drop. That is good for me.”