“What a blow for the nation” – Graeme Souness reacts to Billy Gilmour’s COVID-19 news

"I know it sounds daft; one international game, 20 years old, but we will miss him tomorrow night."

Chelsea and Scotland midfielder, Billy Gilmour, has tested positive for Covid-19. The young prospect who put in a man of the match performance against England on Saturday night, will now have to isolate for 10 days, meaning he misses Scotland's crucial game against Croatia. Speaking to Sky Sports News, former Liverpool and Scotland legend Graeme Souness reveals the effects this will have on the team.

"It's an enormous blow for him, but what a blow for the nation. Just when things were looking good, we are playing good football, he was the star of the show, so for this to happen, it knocks us sideways.

"That trio - Callum McGregor, John McGinn, Billy Gilmour - the other night were fabulous. They were good on the ball, they hunted it down, and they looked a really strong three in there, so this is an almighty blow for us. [caption id="attachment_230357" align="alignnone" width="1024"] LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 18: Billy Gilmour of Scotland celebrates as he walks off after being awarded with their Heineken "Star of the Match" award after the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Group D match between England and Scotland at Wembley Stadium on June 18, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Facundo Arrizabalaga - Pool/Getty Images)[/caption]

"For a 20-year-old - what a debut. he worked his socks off. He's only had five starts for Chelsea in the Premier league this year, so I was thinking he was going to blow up in the second half.

"He's obviously got a very good engine, he kept going and obviously going into that game, young players and even senior players, burn themselves with nervous energy, but he showed no signs of that. https://twitter.com/SkySportsPL/status/1406919825180532740

"He kept going for the 90 minutes and the football he played, with the pressure on that team, was quite outstanding. What a player he's going to be going forward. [He] keeps the ball in tight spaces, his first thought is to get the ball forward into strikers and he's not scared to get involved in the meatier side of the game for someone so slight.

"He's an enormous prospect for us and it's an almighty blow, we will miss him. I know it sounds daft, one international game, 20 years old, but we will miss him tomorrow night."