There's something special about Billy Gilmour. Something very different from the rest.

I started hearing those noises about four or five years ago when he was coming through the ranks at Rangers and I went out of my way to dig around and find out as much about this boy as I could.

I watched him live a couple of times, playing in the Glasgow Cup at night when he was still going to school through the day. I studied what I could of him on the internet and I spoke to people in the game who were working with him as he progressed. All of them said the same things.

So I was really excited when I saw he made his first start for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time now because I am absolutely convinced this kid is going all the way to the top.

I’m excited for him. I’m excited for his family. But most of all I’m excited for Scottish football because I truly believe we’ll be building our national team around this boy for many, many years to cone. To put it simply, we haven’t produced a player like this in decades.

That’s not me having a pop at the likes of Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney or Scott McTominay - who have all made it to the highest level of the English game. These guys are outstanding football players and will be Scotland internationals for years to come.

But, like I say, there’s something special about Billy. Something different.

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Unlike the other lads, he’s not a full-back or a defensive midfield player. This is a guy who can create and score goals and who does all his best work up the other end of the pitch. In other words, he’s a match winner and I can’t remember the last time Scotland had a player we could say that about.

Technically, there is no doubt in my mind that he has the ability to go as far in the game as he wants to. But we’ve all seen young boys come through in the past who had the world at their feet but who never quite managed to reach their full potential.

The thing that makes Billy that little bit different from the rest is his desire, attitude and hunger. I see it all in his eyes and that’s why I am so convinced we are talking about a special player.

From everything I know about the kid - and from everything I’ve ever read other people say about him - I get the sense that he’s a grounded, very respectful young man who has quite clearly been brought up properly.

And most of all, I see a kid who reminds me of my young self in terms of his absolute determination to make the most of what he’s been given. And I should point, this boy has more natural ability than I ever had.

Trust me when I say, you can have all the natural ability in the world but you won’t make it in football unless you have the temperament and the drive to get the very best out of yourself. I see those qualities in Billy and that’s what makes me so excited about what’s in front of him right now.

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I remember breaking into the first team at Rangers under Walter Smith. I was 10 stone soaked through and not physically ready to play at that level. But I was determined not to let something like that hold me back.

Billy has done the exact same thing. In fact, at the age of 16 he was brave enough to head to the bright lights of London in order to make it happen. As gutted as I was to see him leaving Rangers, I also had to admire the boy for having the guts to make such a huge decision.

People said it was for the money. That he’d get lost down there and end up scrubbing around at some lower league club by the time he was 20.

Well, Wednesday night proved them wrong.

No, when I look at this kid I can’t help but think about Andy Murray leaving Dunblane at a similar age to make it as a tennis player in Spain. That’s the sort of single minded attitude you have to admire and it’s why I really believe Billy has got it all going for him.

Put it this way, if I was Stevie Clarke I’d be having a good hard think about whether or not to bring him straight into the full Scotland set-up. And, after mulling over for five minutes, I would probably call him up for the next squad and next month’s double header with Russia and San Marino.

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Look, I know people will say he’s not ready. He’s too small. He’s only got 90 minutes of first team football under his belt. All valid points.

But I look at it the other way. I look at a kid who, even despite his slim build, is rated talented enough by a guy like Frank Lampard to train every day with Chelsea’s first team. And now to boss their midfield in a cup game at the age of 18.

Yes, he lacks experience. Of course he does,

I did too when I got my chance but I was protected by senior players around me. Yes, I was nervous but I puffed out my chest and tried my best not to show it. When I needed their help and experience they were always there to cajole me and give me their advice.

Are you telling me Billy wouldn’t get that same protection from the guys in Scotland’s squad? Of course he would. And the more time he spends around these guys the more experience he will pick up.

Look, I’m not saying Clarke should start him in Moscow next month. But I see no reason not to take a look at the boy around the squad and then, if he’s as confident as he appears to be, to give him a first cap at home to San Marino the following week. Why not?

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I speak from experience when I say that it’s no bad thing to be thrown in at the deep end so long as you have the talent and the mental strength to cope with it. I don’t doubt Billy on either score.

So, yes, I know it’s still early days in his development but why not get him fast-tracked as he’s spent long enough in the under 21s and won’t learn any more from playing at that level.

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The sooner he’s chucked in there with the Robertsons, Tierneys and McTominays the sooner he’ll be ready to build a Scotland team around.

There’s a lot of doom and gloom around our national team right now. But if that’s not reason for a ray of sunshine I don’t know what is.