Billy Gilmour Napoli 'risk' pays off as Antonio Conte gets exactly what he expected in Palermo rout

Antonio Conte admits he made a risky call with his Napoli team selection as Billy Gilmour was handed a first start, but wasn't surprised that he slotted in seamlessly to help them to a 5-0 win over Palermo.

The former Rangers starlet made the move to Serie A from Brighton this summer in a cut price £12million deal. He's joined in Naples by Scotland teammate Scott McTominay, who came off the bench to score the fifth for Conte's men, continuing his good start since leaving Man Utd. Gilmour has taken a little longer to force his way into Conte's team, but vindicated his ex-Chelsea boss's decision to start in in a midfield two alongside Stanislav Lobotka in their convincing Coppa Italia win.

“We should not forget that we played in the first part with a reduced team and only two central midfielders," said Conte. "I made a decision, even a risky one, to see all the players involved in the project. The best thing is the reply I received. The players have changed, but the performance was the same. This must raise awareness, and it’s a good starting point.

“They know they must deserve everything. I didn’t make gifts; those who played deserved so. I also tried Gilmour with Lobo. There are things we are trying, and now we must continue. We must continue working hard. We’ll face difficulties against Monza.

“The performance was convincing, but it didn’t surprise me. I know him well from my experience in England.

We strongly wanted him because he has determined skill sets. He is a strong player, like the other new players. You see Lobotka and Gilmour, and you may think that we lost something in terms of structure, but we are working on it. Frank did well with Billy, too. We must create solutions, so if somebody has a headache or