Chelsea youngster Billy Gilmour has identified the advice given to him by the club’s manager Frank Lampard and his assistant Jody Morris as the reason for breaking into the the Blues first team.

The 18-year-old has joined several Blues academy graduates in forcing their way into the first team during Lampard’s reign at Stamford Bridge, most notably starring against Liverpool with a man-of-the-match performance.

Gilmour excelled once again when making his full Premier League debut in the 4-0 win against Everton, earning rave reviews from Manchester United legend Roy Keane, and the Scot has been tipped for a bright future at Stamford Bridge.

But the youngster admitted he thought he would be spending the season out on loan to gain some first-team experience and thanked Lampard for showing faith in his ability, report the Evening Standard.

“I went on pre-season with the first team and did well,” he told the club’s official website.

“I thought when we came back I’d be going on loan but the gaffer and Jody spoke to me and said they thought it was best for me to stay, play games with the Under-23s and train with the first team a lot more.

“I was happy with that, especially the chance to get more opportunities to train with the first team and express myself and show them what I’m about.”

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