Antonio Conte declares love for Billy Gilmour as Napoli boss reveals exactly why he brought star in from the cold
Antonio Conte has heaped praise on Billy Gilmour after the Scotland star marked his first start for Napoli in nearly three months with a fine display in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Inter.
Gilmour joined I Partenopei from Brighton for £12million last summer but unlike his compatriot Scott McTominay, has found regular minutes hard to come by under Conte. But following a serious injury to Cameroon stalwart Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa earlier this week, the former Rangers kid was included in the starting line-up for the top of the table clash with Inter for the first time since the 3-1 Coppa Italia defeat to Lazio on December 6.
Napoli kept themselves in the title hunt with a late equaliser from Philip Billing ensuring the gap between themselves and Serie A leaders and champions Inter remains at just one point with 11 games remaining. And Conte - a nine time Scudetto winner as a player and as a manager - was delighted with Gimour's impact in the 79 minutes he was on the pitch at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
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Speaking after the game, Conte said: "Today, I wanted to give a chance to Billy, because I wanted to have more control of the ball. I think Billy played a fantastic game. I love him.
"We are talking about a guy who, during the training sessions, every time his level is top, top, top. For me, he’s a fantastic player: he takes the ball under pressure, looks [scans] before receiving the ball, always knows where the ball is going. A big, big personality."
Conte admits that he has felt a bit uneasy about Gilmour's lack of game time. "Sometimes I don’t give him [enough game time], which is disappointing", he added. "For Scott [McTominay], it was more simple to have a big impact.
"Because we needed a player in that role. Gilmour, I wanted because I thought [Stanislav] Lobotka could have injuries during the season. And in fact, Lobotka had a problem earlier in the season, and Billy played five games in a row.
"But Billy? I love him. He is young, and his future is for him. And for sure, from now until the end of the season, he will help us a lot."
