Billy Gilmour: who is Chelsea midfielder in Scotland football squad at Euro 2020 – and Norwich links explained

Billy Gilmour is attracting interest from Premier League newcomers Norwich City.

The Canaries are reportedly frontrunners to land the Chelsea midfielder on loan due to the managers of both clubs having previously worked together at Borussia Dortmund.

Gilmour starred for Scotland in the goalless Euro 2020 match against England before testing positive for Covid and missing the Tartan Army’s last group match against Croatia.

Following the final whistle, Gilmour and Chelsea teammates Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell, both of England, were seen talking together on the pitch and in the Wembley tunnel.

It means all three will now self-isolate to reduce the risk of exposing others to the virus. Neither Scotland or England camps have reported any other positive Covid cases.

Gilmour, meanwhile, has been tipped to be a star of the future for club and country.

How old is Billy Gilmour?

Billy Gilmour was born on 11 June 2001 in Glasgow.

Gilmour turned 20 on the first day of Euro 2020 but was left out of Scotland's opening encounter against Czech Republic three days later.

It's been quite the few weeks for Gilmour who lifted the Champions League trophy with Chelsea, made his senior Scotland debut and was called up to the Euros squad.

He made his first competitive start at senior level for Scotland against England in a goalless encounter at Wembley Stadium on Friday 18 June 2021.

When did Billy Gilmour join Chelsea?

Billy Gilmour joined Chelsea in the summer of 2017 from Glasgow Rangers.

The young prospect had been with his hometown club Rangers since the age of eight but opted for a move south of the border to join Chelsea's academy.

It has, arguably, paid off for the midfielder who has broken into the first team at Stamford Bridge and played a part in the successful 2020/21 Champions League campaign.

Does Billy Gilmour still play for Chelsea?

Billy Gilmour is still on the books of Chelsea and has a contract with the Blues that runs until the end of the 2022/23 season.

He signed a long term contract with Chelsea shortly after making his Premier League debut against Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge in August 2019.

Gilmour went on to make six Premier League appearances in 2019/20 and a handful of cup displays under then-Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard.

What type of player is Billy Gilmour?

Billy Gilmour is described as a "technical individual with good game intelligence and awareness who creates plenty of goals and chances for his team-mates" on the Chelsea website.

Gilmour has continued to feature in the Chelsea first team in 2020/21 with five more Premier League appearances, four FA Cup appearances and two Champions League appearances.

His performances for club and country have been recognised by some of the game's pundits.

Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane called Gilmour "world class" while Lampard sees traits of ex-England international Paul Scholes, who was renowned for his passing ability.

Lampard, who gave Gilmour his Chelsea debut aged 18, said of the prospect: "Paul Scholes is obviously one of the greatest midfield players I’ve played against in the Premier League.

"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."