Billy Gilmour should have been starting for Chelsea long ago

This is Billy Gilmour’s world currently and the rest are just living in it. The young midfielder really should have been starting for Chelsea much sooner.

The Pride of London has been a long time banger of the Billy Gilmour drum. There are just some players that make it look so easy regardless of their age. It is simply clear that they have something more than many of their compatriots.

So it was no surprise to see Gilmour turn up and pull all the strings against Liverpool. Just as it was no surprise to see him do the same every other match he has played thus far this season. Gilmour may be the newest first teamer, but he is playing like he has been around for years.

Which begs the question as to why he has not played more this season. It is clear that he has all the talent and every time he plays he shows his skill. Yet it took Jorginho getting suspended to see Gilmour given this chance.

The simplest explanation is the depth in front of him. Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount, and Ross Barkley have all played central midfield in various formations. If the option was to keep Gilmour around to be the most fringe player or have him play in the academy every game, the latter is likely the better choice.

At least it would be the better choice if Gilmour was not so clearly ready for more much sooner. Gilmour is able to cope with, and excel against, arguably the best team in Europe. Surely there is little he has gained from the academy matches this season.

It could be a case of how the skill sets clash. Overall, Gilmour may be most similar to Kovacic with his on and off the ball work rate. Passing wise, Gilmour acts far more like Cesc Fabregas used to do which probably pits him more directly against Jorginho (not that Jorginho does anything close to the passes Fabregas did). So if it comes down to keeping Jorginho happy or throwing in with Gilmour, it is understandable why Frank Lampard would make the decision he did with the transfer ban in effect.

But Jorginho’s suspension can be(and given he did not start against Liverpool, probably is) the only excuse Lampard needs to bring in the young Scotsman. The kid is clearly ready and Jorginho has essentially handed him a three game run to win the starting role.

This is not just hyping up youth for youth’s sake. Gilmour will have hiccups like Mount, Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori, and Reece James have had. Most managers would take those hiccups and back off using the youth. The real secret is once those hiccups are played through, the player is even better than they were in the initial flash of skill.

Gilmour, however, seems hiccup proof. He can seemingly do most of everything on and off the ball that Lampard would ask anyone else to do. That was clear in September. It is clear now. The only way it would have been clearer would have been if Gilmour was given the chance sooner. But better late than never.