Lennon Miller: ‘Increasing interest’ but why is Motherwell player so coveted?

Clearly an 18-year-old who has played 76 first-team games, captained his club, and made his international debut possesses talent which is going to attract attention.

Since his debut, Miller’s close control, passing range and vision have caught the eye.

A look at some of the numbers for central midfielders in the Scottish Premiership last season demonstrates why Miller would appear in lots of databases.

Already an adept set-piece taker, Miller grabbed eight assists for Motherwell – a tally only bettered by Rangers’ Nicolas Raskin among central midfielders.

Mostly a deeper-lying player, he was deployed as one of two number 10s in the early part of the campaign for Motherwell, and ranked third among midfielders for chances created by the end of the season, as well as deliveries into the box.

As for the dirtier side of the game, only Celtic captain Callum McGregor won the ball back more times than Miller.

The teenager was also the most fouled central midfielder in the league, a nod to his ability to use his body to protect the ball in tight spaces, and his dribbling prowess.

His passing accuracy as a whole is further down the charts, which hints at an area for development, but Motherwell’s direct style and Miller’s tendency to play riskier passes forward could also be behind the lower figure.

Of course individual statistics are not themselves the basis for signing players.

But what has been striking about Miller has been the calmness and confidence with which he has played since his debut.

He has often been keen to take responsibility, for example scoring an injury-time penalty against Dundee United to send Motherwell to the League Cup semi-finals.

Miller was similarly unbothered by his first Scotland start against Liechtenstein, putting in a standout display.

“He makes football look easy regardless of what game he plays in,” his former Motherwell team-mate Tony Watt posted on X after that game.