Ethan Erhahon could have told everyone that Billy Gilmour was going to light up Wembley stadium when he lined up to face England.
That’s because the St Mirren youngster has already seen the Chelsea starlet shine under pressure for his country at close quarters.
Erhahon played alongside the 20-year-old in Scotland’s Under-16s and Under-17s sides, witnessing first-hand the fellow midfielder’s incredible technique and precocious talent.
He watched him dominate opposition players like they weren’t there, and remembers him impressing most when the scouts where lined up to watch him in action during the Victory Shield in 2016.
Speaking exclusively to Express Sport, Erhahon said: “I played with Billy in the 16s and 17s and he was usually the skipper.
“He was always so good.
“His technical ability was plain to see but you could tell he already had this incredible hunger and desire to get better and better.
“That’s what sets the best players apart.
“I remember playing against him at St Mirren Park against Rangers Under-20s when we were both still really young. I’m pretty sure they won and he was bossing the game as usual.
“What sticks out for me was when we played in the Victory Shield, against Northern Ireland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.
“The hype around him was just starting to build then and there were so many scouts coming along to watch him.
“There was so much pressure on him, but he was still the stand-out player and nothing seemed to faze him at all, even when all the eyes were on him.
“That’s why I wasn’t surprised at all to see him hold his nerve at Wembley.
“He was superb and the sky really is the limit for him.”
While Gilmour was impressing for Steve Clarke’s Scotland at the Euros, Erhahon had to cut his summer break short after being rewarded for a fine Premiership season with the Saints with a Scotland Under-21 call-up.
The 20-year-old featured twice in friendlies against Northern Ireland, starting the first game while coming on as a second half substitute in the second.
Erhahon revealed it was a proud moment to stand up and sing the national anthem again having been out of the international fold recently.
He said: “It was a great honour to be selected for international duty again.
“I’ve been in at Under-16’s through to 19’s but that was my first caps at Under-21 level.
“It was a really good challenge against some really good individual players.
“On paper they were friendlies, but once the national anthems get sung and you have the crest on your shirt that soon goes out the window!
“You want to do your family proud and hopefully I can keep moving up now and fingers crossed make my full debut for Scotland one day soon.”
Like much of the country, Erhahon has been swept up in the euphoria of Scotland qualifying for a major tournament for the first time in 23 years.
While Steve Clarke’s side couldn’t make it out of the group stages, the Saints academy product insists they’ve still inspired a new generation of Scots to join the Tartan Army.
He hopes the wait for a return to the big stage isn’t quite as far away next time.
Erhahon said: “Seeing the first team playing at a major tournament for the first time in 20-odd years has been incredible.
“I wasn’t even born the last time we qualified! So it was great to see it happen even though we couldn’t make it through what was a tough group.
“It’s given the whole country a lift. Even non-football people were getting involved in it, there’s been flags up everywhere and I’ve seen pictures of kids watching the games in class as well.
“That’s brilliant to see and hopefully we can kick on as a football nation now and make sure we don’t have to wait anywhere near as long to get back to the Euros or the World Cup.”
After a very short break, Erhahon is now back in the swing of pre-season training with the Buddies ahead of their League Cup campaign kicking off against Dumbarton on Saturday, July 10.
He’s hoping for a quick start against the Sons, as he believes a successful League Cup group stage can help set the tone for the start of the Premiership season.
Erhahon added: “We’ve been back for pre-season training this week and it’s been great so far.
“We’ve done our own version of the beep test and Cammy MacPherson was the fittest on the first round. He’s a good runner to be fair, I’m more a passer! The gaffer was saying that as a group our results are better than last year, so hopefully that shows we are fitter heading into this season. We’re looking forward to the League Cup starting and we want to hit the ground running. We want to do well in that competition because it sets you up well for the entire season.
“It gives you a good platform and obviously we had a very good run in the League Cup last season.
“We want to emulate that this year and hopefully go one step further and make the final.”
