Former Scotland coach Alex McLeish has likened Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour to French great Alain Giresse.

McLeish said that Gilmour's emergence reminded him of a couple of talents from his own personal back catalogue of experience.

He told the Mirror: “People usually ask for comparisons in situations such as these and I can give you two – one from my own playing days and one from my time in management.

He reminds me of former France midfielder Alain Giresse, who I remember playing against for Scotland in a warm-up game prior to the European Championships in 1984.

“Jock Stein came over to me before kick-off and told me to be as physical as I liked against Giresse because, to use that well-worn phrase: 'He won't fancy it.' Famous last words.

“France effectively lined-up with a five-man midfield. Giresse was there – this was that great French side that contained the likes of Jean Tigana and a fella called Michel Platini.

“We were playing a flat back-four and so we had no-one to mark - which was unusual for us - and we were absolutely battered in the first-half. We came in two-down at the break and I still remember Gordon Strachan turning around to me and asking what was the record defeat for a Scotland team against France. We were given a run-around.

“And at the heart of it was this Giresse fella. It didn't matter how aggressively I went to engage with him, by the time I got there the ball had been moved on. He had an answer for everything.

“The times when I did actually get close, it had no effect. Giresse may have only been small in stature but he was solid.

“And one thing I have picked up on, having watched Billy play for Chelsea and looking back to the time playing for Scotland's Under-21s, is the fact that they have worked on his core strength.

“The other player he reminds me of – with respect of his willingness to take a ball under pressure in any situation – was Barry Ferguson.

“One of Barry's many great qualities is that he would accept a pass, regardless of the stadium he was playing in, the opposition or the match situation. He would take the ball and do something positive with it. He would re-cycle it. Take it back, move it forward, sideways – whatever the situation called for, he made the right decision.

“Now, it's not fair to heap that kind of comparison upon Billy's shoulders quite just yet but I see the same calmness in possession, like he is one step ahead. It's a rare quality in the game.

“And if he keeps a level head, he really could go on to be quite a player."