Callum McGregor has sent a 'we'll look after you' message to young Scotland starlet Billy Gilmour.
The former Rangers kid has reached a critical part of his career but Celtic skipper McGregor reckons he will emerge as an even better player.
Gilmour spent the season on loan at Norwich City from Chelsea and suffered relegation from England's top flight with the Canaries.
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The Chelsea kid has struck up a solid partnership with McGregor in the Scotland midfield and he's always impressed the Hoops star in training daily.
McGregor believes the 'top talent' will be aided by his spell at Norwich City this season and it will allow him to learn and grow.
And he's in no doubt he will be raring to go for Steve Clarke's men in the crucial World Cup semi-final showdown with Ukraine at Hampden on Wednesday night.
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Victory will send the Dark Blues into the final to face Wales in Cardiff with the winner heading to the finals in Qatar later this year.
He said: "Listen, he’s a young kid and everybody goes through this.
“You come in, you start on fire, you have a little dip and then you come back.
“I watch Billy every day in training and he’s top level.
"He’s always confident with the ball, can take it under pressure and can play one or two touch. Everybody has difficult spells in their careers.
“Because everyone hyped Billy so highly at the start, it’s inevitable he’s going to have a dip in form at some point.
“That’s normal. It’s natural for young players.
“What we have to do as a nation is help him. Give him the confidence and tools to go out there and play.
“We have to tell him, ‘This is your stage, go enjoy it. We’ll look after you’.
“Everybody involved with Scotland has to look after him because he’s a top talent.
“You don’t get to this level without being mentally strong and being able to go again every three days with all these big games.
“The situation at Norwich will help him even more.
“You have to face adversity in your career so you learn.
“When it’s all going well it’s brilliant. You think it’s never going to end.
“But then you get a slap in the face and that brings you back down to earth.
“That allows you to learn and I’m 100-per-cent sure he feels that way, too.
“He’s come into the group and he’s bright, bubbly and ready to go.”
