Steve Clarke hopeful Billy Gilmour will be in peak condition for Scotland thanks to Norwich City switch

He drafted the Chelsea midfielder into his side for the Euro 2020 group game against England at Wembley back in June even though the 20-year-old had only played twice for his country in international friendlies.

The former Rangers kid more than justified his selection – he was outstanding in the 0-0 draw with Gareth Southgate’s team and was named Heineken Star of the Match at the end of the 90 minutes.

Clarke was devastated when a positive Covid-19 test ruled the youngster out of the final Group D game against Croatia at Hampden – a match that his men lost 3-1 to miss out on a place in the last 16.

But he was pleased to see Gilmour move to Norwich on loan in the summer and is hopeful playing for Daniel Farke’s team on a weekly basis at Carrow Road will allow him to develop further and become an important member of his side. 

“It’s good to see Billy playing regularly,” he said. “Obviously, his team has had a tough start but their first three fixtures have been against top-six teams from last season. The more games Billy features in, the better he’ll become.

“Personally, I think it’ll be good for his development to play in a side which doesn’t have 70 per cent possession and all of the best players on the pitch. It’s going to be a good year for Billy in terms of his education. He’s a good player, he’ll adapt to the situation and learn from it.

“I’m hoping he’ll do really well for Norwich and really well for us. When he played for us against England at Wembley during the Euros he was fresh and his legs were good for 65 to 70 minutes and then they fell off a little bit.

“Going into this game, he’s had a full pre-season with Norwich and he’s played for the majority of the minutes in all of their games so far. He’ll be fine. He’s a great addition to what we already have in midfield.”

Clarke is also pleased to have Gilmour’s club mate Kenny McLean, who missed the Euro 2020 finals after suffering an injury, and could also start him against Denmark in the absence of both Stuart Armstrong and Scott McTominay. 

“I’m always pleased to have Kenny in the squad,” he said. “He’s not only a good player but a good person to have around the group. Having lost Scott and Stuart from that area, it’s nice to have got at least one person back in.”