Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has heaped praise upon 18-year-old central midfielder Billy Gilmour and said he sees similarities between him and Manchester United legend Paul Scholes.
Gilmour made his Premier League debut against Sheffield United in August as he came on as a late substitute.
But it was in the FA Cup win against Liverpool and league victory against Chelsea in March that he really impressed, leading Roy Keane to say he "looked like a world class player."
And speaking to Sky Sports Lampard said he agreed wholeheartedly with the acclaim handed to Gilmour by Keane.
"I had to put my cup of tea down to hear Roy say something nice!" Lampard joked.
"Keane was a fantastic midfield player and he probably won’t give credit unless it’s due – and it certainly was due.
"He’s right, I heard the statements he made about Billy and I think he’s spot on.
"Billy should be happy with that and if he can go and follow the ideas that someone like Roy Keane says when it comes to midfield play he won’t go far wrong."
While Lampard is clearly reluctant to put too much pressure on Gilmour's shoulders, he also couldn't help drawing comparisons between him and Scholes.
"Paul Scholes is obviously one of the greatest midfield players I’ve played against in the Premier League," Lampard added.
"He would always pick the right pass, he had incredible range. If you did try and jump from midfield and get to him and get close to him he’d just play it around the corner because he knew you were coming.
"Billy has shown early signs of that kind of ability.
"I’m not comparing him to Scholesy, no way at all, but in terms of those basics that you mentioned, then Billy certainly has them and that’s a great platform to build hopefully a fantastic career."
