Billy Gilmour shows exactly why Barcelona wanted him with Frank Lampard rewarded for faith in Chelsea star

Eighteen-year-old carried himself like an experienced professional against Liverpool in the FA Cup, and his impetuous piece of skill to lose Fabinho left a lasting image

Billy Gilmour on the ball for Chelsea in the FA Cup (PA)

When Frank Lampard first brought Billy Gilmour into the main Chelsea squad, one of the staff members echoed what many were thinking. “He looks like a 15-year-old.”

After Tuesday night against Liverpool, though, many will realise that doesn’t matter. They’ll also have seen what Barcelona were seeing. To their people, he looked like something else.

The Spanish champions sent their top European scout to watch Gilmour a lot over the last few years, and came to one conclusion. He’s the only British player around his age group who “got it”; the only one who naturally had the type of midfield abilities Barca work so hard to nurture in their academy. They thought he was that good, and had that kind of ability as a playmaker. They would have signed him, but just knew he was going to Chelsea.

And now everyone knows why Lampard put him into the team, and why he’s seen like this.

“When I look at a midfield player, there are a few different things,” the Chelsea manager explained. “Do you want it all moments? Will you put your foot in? Will you pass it at angles?”

Gilmour has all of that, as well as a supreme vision of his own. There was also that standout image of the game, which was him tricking Fabinho. It was supreme impetuousness, and the right personality on the pitch. Lampard maintains he also has the right personality off it.

“If he’s small in stature, he’s huge in personality, and huge in talent. He’s humble, but performed like a top-class player tonight. His whole family were down, his parents were down, his gran was down.”

And Gilmour is only looking up. That could be seen with all those angled passes. It is the way he carries himself, as much as how he carries the ball, that is so striking. It shows a player of such composure, despite his age.

That impact is all the more important given Chelsea’s selection issues. Mateo Kovacic was the latest to go off tonight with a muscle injury, meaning Lampard will likely need Gilmour. It may no longer be about giving him a chance. It may be about taking advantage of the fact he’s more than ready.

Scotland manager Steve Clarke will be thinking the same. This might be a player with that extra spark in the play-offs to take them to Euro 2020.

“I’ll only talk about us,” Lampard said. “Billy showed he’s absolutely confident at this level. If he can play like he did tonight, he’s comfortable at any level. He’s trained with us all year. The reason he’s doing that and stating against Liverpool is how good he’s doing. He’s put in an immaculate performance.”

It was the passes that perhaps best reflected that, amid the twinkling footwork. This is what so encouraging. This is what was so Barcelona. There was a different type of deftness to his play.

“Billy was brilliant,” midfield partner Ross Barkley enthused. “But it was not a surprise to me. I’ve seen him in training and he was like that in training last season.”

He’s now like that in the first team – and likely to be in it much more. This is why everyone should be seeing much more than such a young frame and face. There’s a continental-level playmaker there.