What is Billy Gilmour's new nickname as Scottish midfielder gets big chance at Napoli?

The former Chelsea and Brighton player has had to wait for his big chance this season, having moved to Italy for £12m last summer. His move coincided with that of fellow Scotland star Scott McTominay, who left Manchester United in search of greener pastures.

While McTominay quickly became a key player and fan favorite under Antonio Conte, Gilmour has found game time harder to come by. He has mostly been used as a substitute and hadn't started a match since December 5, before Napoli's crucial showdown with Inter Milan last Saturday.

The match ended in a 1-1 draw, with Philip Billing's late equaliser securing an important point for Napoli. With 11 games remaining, Inter currently lead Serie A by just a single point, with Napoli close behind in second.

Gilmour's performance garnered him praise from fans and pundits alike on social media. The Italian media were equally impressed, and Gilmour has even earned an unusual new nickname alongside a teammate.

Renowned newspaper La Repubblica highlighted the impact of Napoli’s midfield trio - Gilmour, Stanislav Lobotka, and McTominay - as well as substitute Billing, who joined in January from AFC Bournemouth. They then added that both Gilmour and Billing could play a pivotal role in Napoli’s title push.

The newspaper even came up with a superb nickname for the duo, dubbing them “Billy Squared” - this is obviously a fun play on words with Gilmour’s firstname and Billing’s surname.

In Italian, the phrase is written as “La Billy al Quadrato” and according to La Repubblica, this duo provides Napoli with an “extra weapon” in their title charge.

In a post-match report, the newspaper wrote: “The other positive note - perhaps the best from the performance against Inter - is Gilmour. He hadn't started a game since the first meeting with the Nerazzurri. Conte deployed him in the midfield trio alongside Lobotka, and the double playmaker setup was well received.

“The Scotsman supported the Slovakian in the build-up, showing quick thinking and an excellent ability to play vertical passes to Lukaku. Gilmour also made his presence felt defensively, making the most of the opportunity Conte handed him.”