'Brilliant' Billy Gilmour inspires Scotland Under-21s - Allan Campbell
- Published
Billy Gilmour started for Scotland Under-21 against San Marino
Billy Gilmour's "brilliance" that earned him a Chelsea debut is evident daily at Scotland Under-21 training, says team-mate Allan Campbell.
The 18-year-old only made a six-minute cameo appearance as a substitute in last week's draw with Sheffield United.
But it is inspiring the young Scots.
"I know a lot of the boys here look at him and think if he's getting a chance at first-team level then we can do the same if we keep our heads down and work hard," Motherwell's Campbell said.
Gilmour's next competitive action was to partner Campbell in midfield as Scot Gemmill's side started their European Under-21 Championship qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win over San Marino.
"He's a great wee player," the 21-year-old said. "I've known Billy for a couple of years now as he's been in a few of the camps.
"He's like any other boy. He's humble off the park, but when he goes out there, he always shows his talent.
"In training, he works hard, but you can see the ability he has a mile off. He's always doing tricks and some of the stuff he does is brilliant."
Campbell knows that he and Gilmour will have to up their game when they face their Croat counterparts at Stadion Subicevac on Tuesday.
"Thursday night was a massive test as it can be hard to play against a team that sit back and look to be compact," he said. "You have to make sure you win the game and we did that.
"Now we know Croatia are going to be a wee bit different in how they approach it, but I'm sure Scot will have his tactics spot-on and we'll have a plan to exploit them."
Scotland had to rely on an Allessandro Tosi own goal to break the deadlock against San Marino in Paisley, with Rangers winger Glenn Middleton, who is on loan with Hibernian, striking the second.
Gemmill is able to call on several other players with experience in European competition at senior level, including Rangers midfielder Ross McCrorie, currently on loan with Portsmouth, and Aberdeen duo Lewis Ferguson and Connor McLennan.
"When you look about the boys in our changing room, it makes you think, 'we've got a chance here'," Campbell added.
"We have a good group of talented boys and we have got every right to believe we can get out of this group."
Greece and Lithuania also started their campaigns by beating San Marino, with Czech Republic winning 2-0 at home to the Lithuanians on Friday to create a four-way tie at the top of the qualifying group.