Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley has heaped praise on Blues youngster Billy Gilmour after the 18-year-old made his senior team debut for the club against Sheffield United.

The Blues a were held to a 2-2 draw by Premier League new boys Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge at the weekend.  

 



In a game in which the London-based club gave away a 2-0 lead, there were very few positives for them to take away, one of them being Gilmour's debut.

The Scotsman, who has been training with Frank Lampard's first team since pre-season, replaced Chelsea's goalscorer Tammy Abraham in the 84th minute when the score was 2-1 in their favour.
 

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Barkley has lauded the young midfielder's confidence and believes Lampard bringing him on at such a crucial moment in the game is proof. The 25-year-old feels Gilmour has a big career ahead of him.



"He’s a very confident young lad", Barkley told Chelsea's official site.

"As you can see the manager brought him on in a game where it could have gone either way.
 

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"He’s showed it in training by putting his foot in, creating chances and scoring goals.

"He’s got a big career ahead of him."

Lampard, who took charge of Chelsea this summer, has proved that he is not afraid to give youngsters a chance and could give the likes of Gilmour more opportunities to make their mark at the club this season.