Thomas Tuchel believes he was right not to let Billy Gilmour leave Chelsea on loan in January, even though the midfielder has been left out of the Scotland squad.
Gilmour has made only one appearance for Tuchel and his hopes of playing at Euro 2020 are fading because of his lack of playing time. Yet Chelsea’s manager stands by his decision not to grant the 19-year-old a short-term move and urged Steve Clarke to pick the youngster, who has not been included for Scotland’s World Cup qualifiers against Austria, Israel and the Faroe Islands.
“It’s absolutely no mistake,” Tuchel said. “It was unfortunately not his choice. It was my choice. The choice was made for Chelsea and not for the personal goals of Billy. He accepted it in a five-minute talk. I hope he knows how much I appreciate him.
“He has three big problems: N’Golo Kanté, Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho. I can only strongly recommend the Scottish national team to nominate him because this guy trains on the highest level. They should not be worried about his ability to compete.”
Tuchel said he needs Gilmour, who could start when Chelsea host Sheffield United in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Sunday. “We talk now several times because sometimes he does not make it to the 18 because we play with two central midfielders and I already have one of the three guys I mentioned on the bench.
“But it does not mean like when you are out of the squad that you first have to find your way back to the bench. You can start the next game. I am happy he is here. We need a strong four midfielders.”
Tuchel accepted Tammy Abraham would also be worried about his international future after being snubbed by England. The striker could return from an ankle injury on Sunday.
“He knows a role in our team can improve his chances to have a role in the English national team,” Tuchel said. “We did not talk about it but it would not surprise me if it’s in his head. This is totally normal at this level that the players have their own interests.”