Steve Clarke insists Lennon Miller has done nothing wrong by setting his sights on becoming the best Scottish footballer in the national team.
The Motherwell captain has faced backlash from some quarters over his comments that he wants to be the best player in the men's A team squad.
Clarke insists Miller is right to be ambitious, as he questioned why the comments have made headline news in recent days.
"I think it's wrong that he's criticised for wanting to improve," the head coach told BBC Sport. "All his comment said was - 'I want to get better in the future, I want to be the best'. What's wrong with that?
🗣️ 'I've been told to put Lennon Miller in the squad for 12 months, as soon as we put him in there's a little bit of negativity' Steve Clarke on reaction to Miller's comments about wanting to be the best player in the Scotland squad in a couple of months' time.#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/wy4kvr2Imo
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) March 19, 2025
"We have to understand that hopefully, Lennon comes into this camp and he'll see how difficult it is to be the best. That should drive him on.
"And you want that for all of your young players.
"I'm amazed that there's been two or three days of headlines about it because for me it's not a headline story.
"He's a young boy saying that he wants to improve - what's wrong with that?
"We all want to improve, I want to improve. I'm coming up on 62 this summer and I still want to get better.
"I've been told for about 12 months now that we've got to put Lennon in the squad, and as soon as we do so there's a little bit of negativity about it.
"I think that's completely wrong. Certainly for a young boy of 18."
