Scottish Premiership powehouses Rangers lost Billy Gilmour when he completed a controversial move to Premier League giants Chelsea.
The rapid rise of Billy Gilmour must feel rather bittersweet at Ibrox.
While no one at Rangers would begrudge this Glasgow local his stunning emergence at Chelsea, every velvet touch, every inch-perfect pass comes with a sense of ‘what might have been’ for everyone connected with the Scottish Premiership powerhouses.
The Gers knew they had just lost a potentially generation-defining talent when a 15-year-old Gilmour was lured away by the bright lights of London town.
And while the teen sensation might look like a child in a man’s game, he certainly doesn’t play like one. From humiliating Fabinho in the FA Cup to inspiring a 4-0 thrashing of Everton, Gilmour’s decision to walk away from Rangers is starting to look like the right one with every week that goes by.
Less Islam Feruz 2.0, more Jorginho’s Scottish cousin.
But, in the eyes of former Rangers and Scotland boss Alex McLeish, Gilmour is reminiscent of another fine midfielder – one who went down as one of the most inspirational players in modern Ibrox history.
“The other player he reminds me of – with respect of his willingness to take a ball under pressure in any situation – was Barry Ferguson,” McLeish, who also likens Gilmour to France legend Alex Giresse, told the Mirror.
“One of Barry’s many great qualities is that he would accept a pass, regardless of the stadium he was playing in, the opposition or the match situation. He would take the ball and do something positive with it. He would re-cycle it. Take it back, move it forward, sideways – whatever the situation called for, he made the right decision.
“Now, it’s not fair to heap that kind of comparison upon Billy’s shoulders quite just yet but I see the same calmness in possession, like he is one step ahead. It’s a rare quality in the game.
“And if he keeps a level head, he really could go on to be quite a player.”
With Rangers struggling to control games in recent weeks, their title dreams going up in smoke as a result, it’s tempting to wonder if Steven Gerrard’s side would have avoided a dramatic fall from grace with Gilmour pulling the strings in the centre of the park.
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