Lennon Miller: From ‘devastating’ grief to Motherwell record sale

That patience and understanding, when it might have been easier to jump at a more lucrative academy contract elsewhere, has paid off big time.

Despite a two-month injury lay-off, Miller enjoyed a stellar breakthrough campaign in 2023-24, playing 32 games in a deep-lying midfield position.

His fearless ability to take the ball from the defence and link play caught the eye, but last season showed there are more strings to his bow.

Deployed in a more advanced midfield role for much of the campaign, he scored four goals and assisted eight, despite missing six Premiership games in early 2025 with a hairline ankle fracture.

He ranked in the league’s top 10 for chance creation even with that spell on the sidelines, won the most fouls of any player in the division and won back possession the second-most, behind Celtic captain Callum McGregor.

“It’s completely different to what I was playing,” Miller said of his more advanced role. “It’s taken time to get used to and I’m reaping the rewards now.”

Even with the pressures of first-team football, Miller’s risk-taking remains.

There are far more occasions when those risks do not pay off, but “there’s no point worrying what people think,” he says. “Just reset, get the ball back, and do it again”.

But where does that mindset come from?

Miller has always been inspired by Kevin de Bruyne, but he feels the loss of his mum, who always wanted him to be a footballer, has been a “massive factor”.

After all, misplacing a pass is meaningless in comparison to what he had to endure in his early life. So “why not try the risky pass,” he adds.