Why Scotland coach has Motherwell kid Lennon Miller's…

Why Scotland coach has Motherwell kid Lennon Miller's back over 'best player' comment

SCOTLAND assistant manager John Carver has predicted the confidence that Motherwell midfielder Lennon Miller has in his own abilities will serve him well in his future football career.

Carver was quizzed about the comments which Miller, who has been called up to the national squad for the first time for their Nations League play-off matches against Greece this week, made last Thursday during a press conference at Hampden yesterday afternoon.

He suggested the 18-year-old – who stated during an interview at Fir Park that he believed he could be the best player in a set-up that includes the likes of Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmour, John McGinn and Andy Robertson “in a couple of months” – had perhaps not articulated himself properly.

However, the former Newcastle United caretaker, who admitted he would speak to the Motherwell captain about the fallout to his remarks, stressed that believing in yourself was an essential quality for any aspiring player.

“Listen, I've made the same mistake a few years ago and I was a lot older than him,” he said. “We all make mistakes, but you've got to learn from it. Not just that, I think the headline might have been taken out of context for sure.

(Image: PA) “He's a young player learning so he needs a little bit of guidance. Like I say, I made a similar mistake when I was a lot older than him. I'm not going to go down the road of talking about what I said. So I will talk to him, I'll have a chat with him and give him my experiences. But hopefully he's learned from it because I did.

“But he's a confident lad and there's nothing wrong with being confident and believing in your own abilities. He's had a good season, he's a good player, a very, very good player. I don't think that's a problem if you've got the confidence to believe that.

“Whatever you do in the world you have to believe you're the best at it. When I play golf I believe I'm the best golfer and I'm not, I'm rubbish. What I'm saying is you have to believe in your own ability.

“He just needs a little bit of guidance to put him in the right direction. He's got a lot to do, he's a young lad. But I don't have a problem with people believing in their own ability.”

Carver stressed that Miller and Hearts striker James Wilson could feature for Scotland in the Nations League play-off games against Greece in Athens on Thursday night or at Hampden on Sunday if they impress in training this week.

“They've earned the right to be in the squad and that's encouraging,” he said. “So if an opportunity comes up and Steve [national manager Clarke] wants to put them on the pitch they'll get my support and the support of the rest of the staff. What's the point of putting them in the squad if we don't believe that? So let's see where it takes us.

"They're only at the bottom of the ladder. Let's not forget we had James come and train with us a year ago and he caught our eye. He's had a great run. I've been watching the games and he's had a great run in the team and done really well with Hearts. He's earned the right to be in the squad and if the opportunity comes around, who knows?”

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