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Frank Lampard has seen enough. After another exciting cameo against St Patrick's Atheltic in the second match of his reign as Chelsea manager, the former midfielder could not speak highly enough of the club's latest precocious teenager.

“Billy Gilmour has had a brilliant trip, as a young lad," he said in Dublin.

"The personality he’s shown on this trip, to play two games at the level he’s played them, he’s been great. I just hope [he] keeps pushing on this season."

Catalysed by a coaching staff who want to create first team opportunities for Cobham’s youngsters, Gilmour has been a highpoint of the Irish leg of a summer tour that will move on to Japan in the coming days.

The Scot has been on the radar of fans since before his move from Rangers to Chelsea in 2017.

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He left for west London rated as one of the most exciting talents to come through the youth set up of the Glasgow side in years.

Blues fans, well used to speaking in sombre tones about their own academy graduates going off to find other opportunities instead of being given the chance to make a bigger impact at Stamford Bridge, recognised the disappointment in the comments of their counterparts north of the border.

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In December that same year, Gilmour was the focus of a video released by Chelsea on their official YouTube channel.

The camera followed him around Cobham for the day, and beyond the training clips viewers got a glimpse of the youngster reviewing film in an analysis session, looking at his individual action plan.

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From a technical standpoint, looking at the midfielder's strengths and how he seeks to play the game, it was no surprise to hear his admiration for Cesc Fabregas, at the time the chief creator in the first team squad. He spoke about analysing the Spaniard's game in order to add to his own.

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Gilmour picked out the range of passing: "How he moves the ball quick and how he gets out of tight spaces."

For anyone who has watched the Scot develop over the past 18-months, the lessons he took from Fabregas are becoming evermore engrained in how Gilmour plays.

Watch the continuous head movement over both shoulders before he receives the ball. Always aware. Always looking two steps ahead.

The development plan also included points about his need to improve on speed and power, and variation in passing off both feet.

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Finishing, work rate and influence off the ball were also listed, as was his set piece delivery. It is a testament to his dedication that many of these areas can be considered strong points in 2019.

As an international for Scotland at Under-21 level, Gilmour won the 'Breakthrough Player' award at the 2018 Toulon Tournament, building upon the many trophies has has already claimed played for the Chelsea academy sides.

He will enter the first season of Lampard's reign as part of the Under-23 squad, with an eye on the first team or a potential loan.

Supporters desperate to see a silver-lining to a transfer ban locking out the Blues from registering new players until next summer will be hoping he sticks around and shines.

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Gilmour is already a fantastic player to watch. Blessed with incredible close control and comfortable taking the ball in tight areas, he has that classic playmaker ability to effortlessly receive the ball on the half-turn.

The way he adapts his game as the ball progresses through the thirds of the pitch is another aspect of his game that hints that his future lies at the very top of the sport in his position.

Rarely is the weighting of his passes any less than appropriate to the situation he is seeking to exploit with just the right amount of pace to enable the recipiant to the make the most of his delivery.

A lot of players can pass accurately to a man but if the ball is played too strong or too soft it drastically alters the options for the receiver. Gilmour knows when to play into space or into feet, and if playing to feet the ball is directed towards the appropriate foot, away from the opponent. Impressive, not least for an 18-year-old.

(Image: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

Neither does he look hurried when he has the ball. Sure, Chelsea's opponents in Ireland have not been of the standard they will face in the Premier League or Champions League but the ways in which Gilmour has stood out have not been down to the quality of what he is up against.

True, the amount of space and time on the ball to think and act will sharply diminish when playing at a higher level but he already looks set to take on those challenges.

So far in his career he has taken every level of competition in his stride, and there is little reason to doubt this will not continue.

Those momentary glances to build up a mental picture of the game around him in all directions, and the wisdom over how to make use of that information, is the reason fans should get excited rather than any sort of ornamental skill made easier by the level of opposition.

Like most Chelsea academy players in recent years, he has played in every midfield role imaginable.

In the adult’s game many will use his size against him, pigeonholing him as a number 10, but this would do the rest of his game a disservice.

While he is certainly capable of playing in the hole, he looks more comfortable operating from deep with licence to push into attacking areas.

He has shown an understanding of when to push forward and when to hold, when he can make use of his incisive dribbling to carry the ball and what tempo to play at.

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Unlike other midfield playmakers, Gilmour also has a welcome bit of bite to his game. He is, surprisingly, quite a physical player, capable of pressing to recover the ball or winning tackles in midfield.

In a recent appearance on the Football Draft programme, he joked about playing against Leciester City for the Under-23s.

"I was up against Andy King, so I tried to put myself about him," he said. "I gave him a nudging and he probably didn’t like it."

Whether it is his passing, dribbling or arriving late in the area, Gilmour offers so much positivity whenever and wherever he plays in midfield.

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His subtle shimmies and feints are a treat for the connoisseurs, although he isn't some talent whose qualities are so obscure as to be the preserve of anoraks.

At 18, he looks and plays like someone with years of first team experience already under his belt. It will be fascinating to see at what level he is capable of operating at once he finally breaks through into the senior game.

Gilmour has the raw tools to become a very stylish and impactful central midfielder. He is a prospect who is already easy to appreciate and enjoy, and that brings benefits too.

Arguments required to explain to doubters why a less obviously talented youngster is worth sticking with to fill a role that is far from glamourous can be tiresome for all involved.

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Players to compare to Gilmour as reference points to what he could become, stylistically if nothing else, are the likes of Bernardo Silva and David Silva.

They are of a similar stature to the Scot and have that ability to glide through midfielder, dictating play from all areas and controlling matches through their command of technique and space.

Hyperbole to suit the dreams of Chelsea fans still sore over missing out on the breakthrough they had already waited to see from previous midfield hopes such as Josh McEachran?

Of course, but the parallels are already there when it comes to style, if not ability - that burst of speed to make room for himself, the footwork, the vision; similarities are there.

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The confidence he will require to even get close to their standards is certainly there, however. When asked whether he wanted to become one of the best players in the world he replied: "In the world, yeah."

After his performances in Dublin, Gilmour is certain to be on the radar of Lampard, Jody Morris and their coaching staff, if he wasn't already in their thinking for the future.

Where others have been consigned to the loan group, the hope was that he would be included in the touring party for Japan.

He is unlikely to travel to the Far East but as Lampard himself alluded to, there is no reason to think that will be the end of it for Gilmour's opportunities this season.

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"The younger players need to have the door open and know they can impress," he said. "Like a lot of them did today.”

Does he go out on loan and acclimatise himself to adult football or stay around the squad and to feature in cup games before looking for more minutes towards the end of the season? Whatever happens, Gilmour must take confidence from his displays in Ireland and from Lampard’s words.

He said it himself: "If someone is better than me, I want to be better than them. I've always had a winning mentality and I hate losing, so when I see someone doing better, I need to match them."

Gilmour could be exactly the right sort of talent at the right time in the right place at the start of the Lampard era to lay a foundation for greater things to come.

For himself, the club and fans who have longed to see the brightest lights of the academy illuminate the first team.