Kenny Dalglish couldn’t have asked for a better mentor when he was breaking through than legendary Celtic boss Jock Stein.
And he believes Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel and Scotland gaffer Steve Clarke will do the same with rising star Billy Gilmour.
Dalglish was hugely impressed by Gilmour’s standout display on his full international debut against England at Wembley as he helped secure a draw against the Auld Enemy.
And the 20-year-old was a massive miss when he was ruled out of the final Euro 2020 Group D game against Croatia.
Dalglish knows dealing with the hype will be a test for Gilmour and he can relate to that after emerging as one of Britain’s brightest talents half a century ago.
Stein was in charge at Parkhead before he moved to Liverpool and Dalglish told the Sunday Post: “When I was coming through at Celtic, getting regular games in the first team and then breaking into the Scotland squad, I had Jock Stein there every day, and I couldn’t have asked for anyone better.
“Big Jock was brilliant at keeping your feet on the ground. He never let any player get carried away and, indeed, if anyone showed the slightest bit of that, then Jock would knock you right down.
“And not necessarily in the a too polite way, either!
“He (Billy Gilmour) has an excellent manager at Chelsea in Thomas Tuchel, and that will be beneficial every day at club level.
“There will be plenty of media coverage on Billy for a long time to come, and he will be under close scrutiny on the various social media platforms.
“But as long as he keeps working hard, keeps making sacrifices, keeps listening to those he trusts and never takes football for granted, then he will be absolutely fine because his natural talent is not in doubt.”
Dalglish was impressed with Gilmour’s Wembley display and said: “Young Billy set the game alight against England, and it was a crushing blow that he missed the Croatia game due to Covid.
“But seeing him in full flow at Wembley was a sight for sore eyes, and his emergence is a massive positive.
“He is now the name on everyone’s lips, and it’s important that he manages himself appropriately and doesn’t change.
“Clearly, he has a wise head on young shoulders. My advice to him would be to just continue what he’s been doing for the past couple of year. It’s worked well for him, and there is no need to change.
“Don’t try to become someone else. Continue to let your football do the talking, and always regard playing for Scotland as an absolute honour.”
