Billy Gilmour opens up on his lack of game time at Brighton | OneFootball

Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Billy Gilmour has opened up on his lack of game time at the club.

Having struggled for regular playing minutes at Chelsea, Gilmour joined Brighton in a £9 million deal last summer aiming to get his career back on track.

However, the 21-year-old has made just eight Premier League appearances for Roberto De Zerbi’s men, with only three coming from the start.

“I’ve had to be really, really patient,” Gilmour told The Athletic. “It’s been frustrating off the pitch, I can’t lie – you want to play.

“It’s been all about being patient, making sure I can control my emotions, not getting too high or too low.”

With Brighton opting to rest several key stars in Saturday’s 6-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, Gilmour was handed a rare start.

The Scotland international was happy with his display, although he is still keen on earning more first-team opportunities.

“Especially after that Wolves game, it’s the same thing: back into training, work hard and prove to the manager he can still trust me,” Gilmour added.

“De Zerbi is always saying be patient, be ready – he was happy with me (against Wolves), so it’s a good feeling.

“I hadn’t played for a while, get chucked in, and I was ready, prepared. I knew what I had to do.”

Gilmour nearly capped off a fine performance against Wolves with his first Brighton goal, but he was denied by the woodwork.

Nonetheless, the midfielder certainly did his chance of more securing playing minutes the world of good, and he could be set for a crucial role as Brighton continue their push for a European place.

Ahead of tomorrow’s clash against Manchester United, the Seagulls sit eighth in the Premier League, four points behind fifth-place Liverpool with two games in hand.