Napoli manager Antonio Conte has praised Scottish midfielder Billy Gilmour following a dominant 5-0 Coppa Italia win against Palermo. After a nerve-shredding win against Modena in the opening round, the Partenopei picked another Serie B outfit apart to progress into the next stage.
Gilmour, who joined Napoli from Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer, made his first start for the club on Thursday. He made two cameo appearances off the bench in Serie A. But last night was his breakthrough game in the blue shirt, and he didn’t cease to amaze.
Cyril Ngonge stole the show with a quick-fire brace to put Napoli 2-0 up after just 12 minutes. However, Gilmour was outstanding in the midfield. Even though he played against second-tier opposition, his performance caught Conte’s eye as the Italian boss hailed his summer signing after the match.
“The performance convinced me, but it didn’t surprise me, I know him well from my experience in England,” the Napoli coach said, as reported by TMW. “We really wanted him, he has certain characteristics, he’s a strong player, just like the other new players. You see Lobotka and Gilmour, you lose something in terms of structure, but we work hard on it, then Frank also did well with Billy.“
Gilmour impressed Conte, but Scott McTominay got on the scoreboard, scoring with his first-ever touch in the Coppa Italia. The Scotland international has quickly won over the Napoli faithful upon his big-money arrival from Manchester United.
Last night’s strike can only increase his confidence.
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