How undaunted teenager Miller exuded class in Scotland victory

BBC News

4 hours ago

Not much seems to faze Lennon Miller.Not making his international debut at 18, nor talking about it to a gaggle of journalists afterwards.The 18-year-old stood, one hand in a pocket, talking about his big moment as if he was recounting what he had for his lunch."It's a good night's work, a proud moment to make my first start and to pop up with an assist is always nice," the Motherwell midfielder told BBC Scotland.Yes, it was against Liechtenstein, one of the worst sides in international football, but Miller's mature performance was one of the highlights of the friendly win.He played a crucial part in Che Adams' second goal, following his man and hassling him before pinching the ball and laying it to the striker to finish.Then there were the piercing forward passes, one in particular into John McGinn which set the midfielder free, and other fired for George Hirst to again get Scotland on to the front foot.A flick, followed by a pirouette and pass into Adams was another highlight.All those individual moments were impressive, but overall it was just the calmness Miller exuded which suggests he is undaunted even among older and higher profile peers."His variation of passing is exceptional, he's played at the top level for two years now and you can see the maturity in his game and the understanding as well, whether it's playing in a two or a three [in midfield]," former Scotland captain Scott Brown said on BBC Scotland's Sportscene programme."To come in and show belief in himself, it shows you nothing really fazes him and that's the best thing about football, especially being a young kid, go out and, as the manager said, do what you do at Motherwell."
A bright but uncertain future lies ahead
That's high praise from a man who knows what it takes to play in the Scotland engine room, as well as lead Celtic to scores of trophies.Miller is only one behind his dad Lee in terms of Scotland caps already.Seeing pictures on the wall and his dad's cap serves to inspire him, but having a family member who knows the ups and downs football can bring must have helped mould him into the calm and confident player he is.Miller was given an example of how things can trip you up when he said he wanted to be Scotland's best player in a few months' time back in March.The reaction was over the top, a case of Miller slightly misspeaking, when actually showing confidence and ambition in the unforgiving world of football is nothing to be ashamed of.The teenager now has an interesting summer ahead.With his deal at Motherwell running until the summer of 2026, the Fir Park club are likely keen to cash in on another successful academy player before his deal runs out.The intrigue around his next move will intensify as the summer progresses.Will he follow the lead of so many other Scottish players and ply his trade abroad?One thing is for sure, he will have options."Motherwell have given him the opportunity at 16 years old to go and showcase how good he can be and they will go and reap the benefits within the next couple of months if I'm honest," Brown said."I think, teams are now looking at him seeing assists as an 18-year-old, and now they'll see how high he can go as well - so people will want that in their team."Not that you'll catch Miller talking about a move. When asked about what's next for him his response was simple.Holiday. Pre-season. Go again. With the depth Scotland have in midfield, it is far from certain whether Miller will see lots of game time when the world Cup qualifiers start.However, if Clarke does call on him again, your best bet would be to back him to be ready to take on bigger challenges.