Inside Lennon Miller Motherwell rise to dream Scotland call as telling reaction to interest shows key quality

He’s the club’s generational talent fulfilling his full capability - and his upward trajectory is showing no signs of stalling according to a man who knows him well.

The teenage midfielder is joining another of the club’s academy graduates, Max Johnston, in this month’s Scotland squad for Nations League play-off matches vs Greece. It’s a huge moment for the star who’s already captained his boyhood club this season and established himself as one of Scottish football’s brightest talents.

Fir Park hero and fellow academy graduate David Clarkson, now leading the club’s youth development, has had a front row seat to Miller’s rise. Having witnessed his talent first hand from an early age, he knew Scotland duty would beckon, but it doing so while he’s still in claret and amber makes it even sweeter.

Rising through the ranks

He told the Motherwell Times: “The timing of it has been great, with such a young player and the position he's in and the seasons he's had as well. Last season he'd done very well, struck a wee bit of injury this season and similar then, but I think he's got his rewards for the determination. His maturity as well over the last two seasons has been magnificent.

“He’s showing he can come through these as well and still keep the standards and set the standards that he has done. It's great to get him involved so young and while he's at Motherwell because no doubt it would have came but the fact that it's came while he's at a club that he's been at for so long and gave so much to is obviously a bonus for the club.

“I first came across Lennon when he was around under 12 or 13s so at 11 or 12 years of age. His 2006 group especially, myself, Steven Hammell and those who were involved, it was a real special group with a real good quality within that and obviously Lennon being one of the ones that was always the forefront of that as well. Not just in his play even as a young kid, his standards and his maturity for that age was magnificent. We always talk about the culture here and he was always first to go and pick up stuff or pick up the bibs or ask if you need a hand. He showed real leadership qualities even at a young age, at 12, 13, 14. He's carried that right through and even at such a young age now, he still shows his qualities hence why he's probably been captain at the club and the staff see that mature player who can lead even at this age.”

Humble steps

Like every academy in the country, there will be some who exceed expectation, some who’ll drift away and others who fulfil the potential that brought them into a professional set-up in the first place. That talent looks set to take Miller beyond Motherwell, with suitors mounting in his services, but that’s nothing new for a talent who’s had plenty of admiring eyes to deal with in his young career. How he’s dealt with that is telling to Clarkson

A grounded inner sanctum doesn’t go amiss Clarkson said: “It's always good to see them come through as well as Lennon has and it's come down to him and the work he's put in, his family, how grounded they've kept and how grounded he's kept throughout the academy. Lots of other things going on and interest going on. He's stayed so mature about the whole situation for many many years and he's getting rewards for that so far through how often he's played with the first team the past two seasons and now he's awarded in a call up to Scotland. I think it's great testament to him as well that you can see the rewards you get by putting the effort in.

“A generational talent is what I think people are calling him and that's 100% right. If we can get one of them every year it'd be absolutely amazing but I think most people understand that's very unlikely. We've managed to see him through this period. I think people enjoy it, people getting to watch him at Motherwell enjoy it, people say they've enjoyed working with him throughout the academy and the managers that work with him while he's been at Motherwell as well I think will be delighted to say they played part in his development. There's always opportunities there if you put the work in and you appreciate how it might work out long term for you rather than looking a short term goal. Lennon will no doubt go and do bigger and better things and hopefully that will continue for him. I think Motherwell understand that, I think everyone's aware of the amount of interest he has. I'm delighted he's stayed here so long because there's been interest constantly so I think it's been great to see him develop and everyone at Motherwell and the fans know he’s been a joy to watch at times.”

National pride

Miller is not the only academy talent on Scotland duty this week. There’s Johnston alongside him in Clarke’s camp, with Ewan Wilson in with the Scotland U21s and Zander McCallister is with the U17s.

Clarkson added: “Max Johnston is probably another good example of the opportunities that come, he's been through the academy set up. Those who've worked with him, the coaches the scouts, everyone have been able to kind of pinpoint that as well and the boys have been able to progress here. Max playing in Champions League as well, it's great for ourselves. It's great for Motherwell as a club and Motherwell as an academy to see now two of their own graduates coming in and playing are now involved in the national team together.

“It'd be great to see them both on the pitch together as well, it'd be another great story but it's just giving them the platform to try and let them flourish under that. Some boys will go on, some boys don't, but we give them the platform. Boys sometimes solely focus on “I want to be doing this I've been involved with Scotland.” We're trying to let the boys know that it's not a be all and end all if you're not involved at 14, 15, 16 with Scotland.

“I think Ewan's a prime example of that. I don't think he was involved with Scotland up until now so the pathways are different for everyone and it's great for Ewan to continue that. He's continued at the first team level and I think he showed good qualities, good character to keep his head down and keep working hard and another great feat for Ewan to be involved in another squad. It's easy for boys to kind of drift away when they get to the first team and hit these milestones but he's continued to do that and progress and hopefully he's another one that will continue progressing at the club for the years to come There's loads of things happening at the club that's been really good for us.”