Former Rangers favourite Andy Halliday has encouraged Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour to make the loan switch to Everton this summer.

Gilmour has been linked with a return to Ibrox but Halliday feels that the 21-year-old’s development would be better served by linking up with his former manager Frank Lampard, who gave him his senior debut:

“Everton is the exact move that Billy Gilmour needs to make to get his career back on track. Frank Lampard gave him his debut at Chelsea and has a lot of trust in him whilst also knowing the ability he has. We’ve seen players have bad loan spells before and still come back and play really well. There’s no doubt in Billy’s quality and I think there’s no better loan move to make than reuniting with Lampard at Everton.”

Halliday is definitely right to say that Gilmour needs to be at a club that trusts him, especially following a very difficult time at Norwich City last campaign where he was on the receiving end of harsh criticism from fans.

On the face of it, a switch to Everton does look like the most sensible choice, but the Scotland international should not completely rule out a move back to the Gers.

If Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side do make it past PSV, they can offer Gilmour Champions League football, in addition to a fiercely contested title race. Those experiences may be a lot more beneficial to his career than another season struggling at the wrong end of the Premier League.