The 19-year-old talent has struggled for regular game time since leaving Motherwell for Serie A
Lennon Miller of Udinese
Scotland wonderkid Lennon Miller did make the the right move last summer by joining Udinese, according to his dad Lee.
A host of clubs had been chasing a deal for the 19-year-old before Motherwell green lit a move to Serie A for the youngster.
Bologna had been among the rival Italian clubs chasing a deal while former Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers was among Miller’s fans.
The Scotland international has made just five appearances this term for his new side – and whispers have circulated online that the Scottish champions could be eyeing a deal for the youngster in January.
Asked about the rumour mill “settling down” after the switch to Serie A despite the swirls over a switch to Celtic, Miller Sr conceded to Gambling.com: “It’ll never be settled, there’s always rumours. If you’re a good player and you’re in the public eye there’s always going to be rumours.
“It’s nice for him to have somewhere he’s really settled into and is well liked. He enjoys the training, enjoys the players, enjoys the place itself – and for his development, going abroad is a totally different environment that he’s got to buy into.
“He’s done that so far, but it was hard for the family to deal with. You want the best for your child, so yes it was hard losing him, but you want the best for him and to make sure he’s doing well.
“That was the best thing [the move to Udinese], in my opinion, for his career moving forward.”
Despite mainly being limited to appearances off the bench this term, Lee reckons that the switch away from the UK was the right call: “He is in a good place. He enjoys the training, the lifestyle, the food, the weather – everything about it.
“They [Udinese] do football properly in terms of the way they organise. They’ve got the nutritionists, the gym work, the facilities – everything about it will make him a better player.
Former Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell reckons Lennon Miller’s ambition to be Scotland’s best player could come true(Image: SNS Group)
“Yes, he’s maybe not played as much as he probably thought he would, but there’s a process in place to try and get them [young players] to where they need to get to.
“So he’ll reap the benefits from that. And the more game time that he gets the more he’ll improve, and then he’ll get into the starting eleven more.”
Miller also revealed that Lennon had several options in Scotland and England – but believes the switch to Italy is the best for his career long-term.
He added: “It was a brave decision, a very brave decision. He [Lennon Miller] could have stayed, he had loads of interest in Scotland and England.
“He could have stayed here and it would have been probably easier, but to go to a foreign country, learn the language, [experience] a different kind of lifestyle, and hopefully progress his game to another level – that was the route he wanted to go down.
“So hopefully he reaps the benefits from that and kicks on and becomes a better player, and I think he will.
“Over time he will become a better player. He’ll understand people’s games and different styles, techniques and tactics over in Italy.
“We thought long and hard about it, we thought about what will be best for his career, and hopefully this will be.”
He notes that the teenager’s focus remains on playing in the top fives leagues as it stands, rather than return to Scotland as his next step: :He’s a very ambitious player and character.
“Whether that takes him to England or Spain etc – he wants to play in the top leagues and England [Premier League] is one of the best in Europe – so we’ll just wait and see what happens.”