Alex McLeish compares Chelsea star to former Rangers legend

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Former Rangers manager Alex McLeish has told The Mirror that former Light Blues prodigy Billy Gilmour reminds him of Barry Ferguson.

Now at Chelsea, the youngster has earned two Man of the Match performances on the trot, playing admirably well against Liverpool and Everton.

Ferguson was a legend at Rangers during his playing days, featuring 196 times for the club.

McLeish can see similarities between him and the new kid on the block in Scottish football.

He told The Mirror: “The player he reminds me of – with respect of his willingness to take the ball under pressure in any situation – is Barry Ferguson.

“One of Barry’s many great qualities was that he would accept a pass, regardless of the stadium, he was playing in, the opposition or the match situation.

“He would take the ball and do something positive with it. He would recycle it, take it back, move it forward, sideways – whatever the situation called for, he made the right decision.”

Rangers might be left to rue their decision not to tie down Gilmour to a longer contract.

The youngster looks set for a bright future at Chelsea and he could become a future star of the game.

At 18 he still has a lot of learning to do but there is a real sense that he could be one of the best Scottish players to emerge in recent years.

The Gers have struggled to replace Ferguson in the years since his departure and his ball-playing qualities were a joy to behold.

Gilmour must carry on learning his trade but under the stewardship of Frank Lampard, he could become a master of his trade.