STEVE CLARKE says that Billy Gilmour has to play more games if he is to have a chance of making Scotland’s Euro 2020 squad.

The Chelsea youngster has made just four appearances for Frank Lampard’s first team in an injury-hit season to date, but will be hoping to make more of an impact in the second half of the campaign now that he is fully fit once more.

Clarke is a massive fan of Gilmour, but says the 19-year-old will have to find a way to play more regularly – whether for Chelsea or out on loan – if he is to make inroads into the senior national set-up.

“Without going overboard on one player, I don’t like to do that, Billy is a good player,” Clarke said.

“There’s no doubt about it. He’s very highly thought of at Chelsea, he’s from the same neck of the woods as me so being an Ayrshire boy he must have a great character!

“But he needs to play games, I don’t think anyone would disagree with that.

“Even the people at Chelsea know he’s got to play a few more games than he has at this moment in time.

“One for the future, absolutely.”

Clarke has been encouraged by the underbelly of talent that is bubbling through for Scotland at the moment.

“We have a lot of good young players coming through, you have Billy Gilmour, David Turnbull, Lewis Ferguson at Aberdeen, Ross McCrorie there too and Robby McCrorie at Livingston,” he said.

“Ryan Porteous has been in the squad before, so there are a lot of good Scottish players coming through.

“I have to get the balance right between improving the squad a little bit without making wholesale changes to a group of lads who have done fantastic.

“When you think it’s been 23 years since we were last in a major tournament, these boys have got us there.

“They deserve the chance to play in that tournament.”