Mike Slater

Sun 2 April 2023 10:10, UK

Billy Gilmour would take a “retrograde” step in his career by rejoining Rangers on loan this summer from Brighton, according to Gary Keown.

Writing for the Scottish Mail on Sunday in their print edition [02 April, pg 104], Keown insisted that the Scotland international should be looking for a move abroad.

Gilmour is set to be loaned out from the AMEX Stadium in the summer, as he continues to fail to make any sort of impact under the management of Roberto De Zerbi.

“One bittersweet moment from Scotland’s conquering of Spain came when catching a glimpse of Billy Gilmour in the festivities,” he wrote.

“To think, less than two years ago, this little guy looked like the future after storming Wembley. Now, he’s set to be loaned from Brighton after another bad move.

“A return to Rangers has been mooted, but that would be a retrograde step. At 21, Gilmour is too young to consign himself to the SPFL. His people should look abroad – to Spain or Italy, to a more suitable, technical league.”

Comforts.

No matter what Keown believes, a move to Ibrox could be perfect right now for Gilmour.

The young midfielder had a terrible time of it at Chelsea, and the same can be said about Brighton, so taking a year at Ibrox with the potential to make that permanent could get him back on track.

Michael Beale would hand him a leading role with the chance to fight for consistent silverware as well as guaranteed European football nearly every week.

Compare that to what he is doing right now which is warming the bench with the occasional minutes here and there, he would likely snap your hand off.

Looking at Ethan Ampadu, who has been in the Serie A from Chelsea for years without making too much of an impact, Gilmour must avoid that scenario.

There wouldn’t be many inside Ibrox who would say no to his return, but ironing out the details could be harder than expected with Brighton.

In other Rangers news, one man scored a woeful 4/10 in our player ratings for the win over Dundee United.