Gilmour to Daily Mail: "McTominay will come back strong as ever" | OneFootball

The championships pause to make room for the National teams, engaged in the qualifying matches for the upcoming World Cup. Among these is Scotland with Gilmour and McTominay, midfielders who grew up in the Premier League, winners of the Scudetto last year with Napoli coached by Antonio Conte. Billy Gilmour spoke to the microphones of the Daily Mail, giving an interview after the first months of this season's start.

Gilmour's words, engaged with Scotland

The national football teams are engaged in the 2026 World Cup qualifying matches. On the field is also Scotland with Gilmour and McTominay, Italian champions last year with Napoli. The first, born in 2001, grew up in Chelsea's youth academy, was taken by the Azzurri as the first alternative to Lobotka. Despite the importance of the Slovak in Antonio Conte's lineup, the former Brighton player carved out his space, contributing to the final success. This year, so far, he has had little space with Napoli, destined to grow with the injury suffered by Lobotka in the last league match against Genoa.

Engaged with his National team in the double commitment against Greece and Belarus, Gilmour spoke to the microphones of the Daily Mail.

The Azzurri midfielder responded to the possibility that the arrival of Kevin De Bruyne might have penalized McTominay, who so far has not maintained last season's performance: “When someone like Kevin De Bruyne signs, everyone knows what kind of player he is. You see it every day, in training and in matches. When a champion like that arrives, it's always positive. All the new guys who have come in have done well, but for me, it's about challenging myself with these greats and trying to earn minutes, having fun.”

When asked about McTominay, who so far has not maintained last season's performances, he replied: “Last year he was the MVP of the championship, he scored many important goals for us. You can see how much the fans esteem him. He had a complicated moment, but I'm sure he will come back strong as always.”

Finally, he was asked if qualifying for the World Cup was superior to winning the Scudetto: “Well, the Serie A title is something special, really. But playing in a World Cup is every Scottish kid's dream. Everyone who grows up playing and watching Scotland knows it's the biggest event there is. If we could achieve it, it would be a moment of immense pride for me and my family. As a child, I would go to the park and we would say we were playing the 'World Cuppy,' doubles or singles, as if we were at the World Cup. It's what you dream of: playing for your country, in the Champions League or the World Cup. Three matches are left, and we really hope to achieve the goal.”

Francesco Landi

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.