Billy Gilmour is on the receiving end of justified criticism recently after some poor Scotland displays demonstrated the stunting of his development received at a bad loan spell in Norwich.

We all saw how good this young lad was for Chelsea when Frank Lampard started giving him a few chances; the-then teenager was outclassing senior talents considerably older than him and ran the show from the middle of the park.

These days?

He’s struggling. He’s surplus at Chelsea, who dumped him on loan as most clubs do with their unwanted players, and he didn’t thrive at a relegation-doomed Norwich in which fighting for your life was the key.

Something which isn’t in Gilmour’s DNA.

This is a Barry Ferguson, a ball player, a composed and slick passer of the ball – with a mismanaged Norwich and similar Scotland, he’s been reduced to very little, and his typical game isn’t there right now.

On at half time last night v the (normally hapless) Republic, Gilmour was reduced to doing little but passing the ball on. Tidy enough, but making no impact. A mismanaged Scotland with a rudderless boss who once again conspired to wreck his team whatever way he could (why did he drop Souttar, exactly) saw Gilmour unable to enforce himself.

And that’s the rut he’s stuck in now.

Would we like him back at Ibrox? 100%.

He needs direction again because he isn’t going to get it at another PL loan spell at another struggling relegation side, he needs a team he can win in.

Him and Lunny in the middle would be quite the sight.

But first and foremost, Billy Gilmour needs to come home.