BILLY GILMOUR earned some lofty praise after starring for Napoli in their win over Lecce at the weekend.
And plenty of fans have already seen enough to suggest he should be a mainstay in their midfield.
Scotland hero Gilmour joined Napoli for £10.9million from Brighton in the summer.
Having had to bide his time for a start, an injury to midfield maestro Stanislav Lobotka opened the door for Gilmour to get his chance.
He played the full 90 minutes in the 1-0 win over Empoli the weekend before last and retained his place in the starting XI for Saturday’s clash with Lecce, a match that ended in the same result.
And his performance in that most recent game earned rave reviews.
The result means the Naples club have a four-point lead at the top of the Serie A table.
Gilmour’s stellar showing against Lecce earned him several comparisons to the great Andrea Pirlo, with a number of Napoli fans sharing that view on social media.
And he’ll get another chance to show what he can do tonight when Napoli face perhaps their biggest challenge of the season.
They head to the iconic San Siro to face AC Milan.
Gilmour WILL once again start with Lobotka again out injured.
But after just two starts so far, many Napoli fans already reckon Gilmour will now be staying in the team for the long haul.
Some reckon the 23-year old has shown already that he is BETTER than £20million man Lobotka, who was linked with the likes of Barcelona and Liverpool in the summer.
One fan reckons: “Lobotka is inferior to Gilmour.”
Another said: “Gilmour won’t make us miss Lobotka against Milan.”
A third posted: “Gilmour has some things less than Lobotka, obviously, but in my opinion he is superior in verticalizations and through balls.”
A fourth added: “Always said that there is no Lobotka’s deputy but a second starter.”
Another reckons they’re very similar players, and added: “What a player Billy Gilmour, we found Lobotka’s regen.”
While another Napoli fan confidently declared: “Gilmour is 10 times better than Lobotka.”
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While Gilmour had to wait for his chance to shine, Scotland team-mate Scott McTominay quickly became a fans’ favourite at the Diego Maradona Stadium.
The former Man Utd ace has become one of Napoli’s key men under Antonio Conte.
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page