Conte: Gilmour ‘knows what he needs to do’ to replace injured Lobotka at Empoli | OneFootball

Napoli midfielder Stanislav Lobotka will miss his side’s fixture at Empoli due to injury but Antonio Conte believes Scotland international Billy Gilmour is also a ‘guarantee’ in that position and can replace the Slovakian play-maker, which he defined as ‘unique’.

Unlike his compatriot Scott McTominay, who quickly became a key player in Conte’s side, Gilmour has never started a Serie A game since joining the Partenopei from Brighton in the summer, as he saw his playing time limited by Lobotka’s presence.

However, the Napoli manager claimed that the former Brighton midfielder has ‘similar’ characteristics and that he was ‘carefully picked’ for his playing style, meaning he should eventually get his first start when his side take on Empoli at the Stadio Castellani on Sunday.

Conte: Napoli ‘fully trust’ Gilmour to replace Lobotka at Empoli

“The international break caused us problems, Lobotka came back with an injury to his flexor muscle, it’s not very serious but we need to face it and he needs to recover,” Conte said in a press conference ahead of the match.

“We’re sorry because he was playing at a very high level, but at the same time, it’ll be a chance to see Gilmour, I said more than once that he was one of the most harmed players, considering how [well] he trained.

NAPLES, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 26: Billy Gilmour of SSC Napoli controls the ball during the Coppa Italia match between SSC Napoli and Palermo at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on September 26, 2024 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

“We’re calm and I always said that we must have two starters for each position to build strong and lasting squads to compete in the next three years. We have just started. There’s a strong player behind Lobotka, we hope he can come back as soon as possible, but we fully trust Billy, who is a guarantee.”

The Napoli coach also replied to questions asking whether the Scottish player can replicate Lobotka’s style, particularly during his side’s build-up, pointing out that Gilmour’s characteristics are the exact reason why they decided to sign him.

“I train all my players in both phases, we’re not unprepared in the build-up,” Conte added, as quoted by TMW.

“Billy knows what he needs to do, he hasn’t been training just in the last two days but since the start. There isn’t a big difference in terms of organisation, their characteristics are similar.

“If we hadn’t Gilmour it would be different, we would’ve had a more physical player but with less quality or less personality to play the ball, but a strong and ambitious team needs to find replacements over time, you can’t do it immediately.

“As for Lobotka, he’s a particular player, a unique one, this is why we carefully picked Billy, we were good at doing this and above all he wanted to come. But nothing will change in terms of organisation.”