Nathan Young-Coombes backs former Rangers kid Billy Gilmour to make his name at Chelsea

The midfielder made the switch to Stamford Bridge two-years ago after turning down the offer of a professional contract with the Light Blues.

Gilmour emerged as one of the brightest young talents in Britain as he progressed through the Rangers ranks and was scouted by clubs from across Europe.

But it was Chelsea that won the race to sign him as he completed a £500,000 switch and he signed his first professional terms with the Blues in July last year.

Gilmour has made steady progress in London once again this season and has now become a key part of Scot Gemmill’s Scotland squad at Under-21 level.

Striker Young-Coombes moved in the opposite direction earlier this year as he joined Rangers in search of greater opportunities and a pathway to first team football.

And the Englishman was impressed with Gilmour’s prodigious talent as the 17-year-old gave him an insight into what to expect at Ibrox before he travelled across the border.

Young-Coombes told SportTimes: “I did speak to Billy before I moved up and he wished me good luck. He said Rangers were a good club, he knew a lot of the boys and still speaks to them.

“He wished me all the best and said I would get a good opportunity up here.

“He is a very good player. Personally, I don’t think he made the right move footballing wise because with his ability and talent, I think he could be in the first team up here, without a shadow of a doubt.

“He is older than me so I only played with him a couple of times but, when you see him, you can tell that he is an outstanding player and he knows what he is doing with the ball. He could go on to become a very, very good player.

“Hopefully he can make the breakthrough. At a club like Chelsea, or at any side in the Premier League.

“It is going to be very hard to break through but hopefully he can do it and the move down south works out for him and his career.”