Billy Gilmour: Scotland must 'look after him' as Callum McGregor explains Celtic-Chelsea midfield dynamic

Ever since Billy Gilmour made his impressive breakthrough into the senior Scotland set-up last year, the Tartan Army have taken him to their hearts.

Callum McGregor believes it’s now more important than ever for everyone connected with the national team to show Gilmour some love as the 20-year-old Chelsea midfielder looks to put a dispiriting loan spell at Norwich City behind him.

Gilmour became a target for criticism from some Norwich supporters as the Carrow Road finished bottom of the English Premier League and dropped out of the top flight once more.

That won’t alter the high regard Scotland manager Steve Clarke has for Gilmour who is set to win his 13th cap for his country in Wednesday’s World Cup play-off semi-final against Ukraine at Hampden.

There is certainly no doubt in McGregor’s mind that his young central midfield partner’s career can continue to flourish, so long as he receives the unconditional backing of those around him in every aspect of his time with the national team.

“Listen, he’s a young kid and everybody goes through this,” said McGregor. “You come in, you start on fire, you have a little dip and then you come back.

“I watch Billy every day in training and he’s top level.

“He’s confident with the ball. He can take it under pressure, he can play one or two touch. His performances for Scotland have been first class.

“Everybody has difficult spells in their careers. With Billy, because everyone hyped him so highly at the start it’s inevitable he’s going to have a dip in form at some point.

“That’s normal. It’s natural for young players.

“What we have to do as a nation is help him. Give him the confidence and tools to go play. Tell him, ‘this is your stage, go enjoy it. We’ll look after you’.

“We have