'It's changing him': Scotland star's culture shift driving World Cup dream as 'fat club' confession revealed

The 19-year-old former Motherwell captain joined the growing list of Scottish talent in Serie A when he penned a five-year deal at Stadio Friuli last August. After a lukewarm start to his career in north eastern Italy, he has now become a regular starter under head coach Kosta Runjaic.

Named in Steve Clarke’s 26-man squad for the pre-World Cup friendlies against Japan and Ivory Coast last week, part of Miller’s decision to move to the Italian top flight was borne out of his desire to seal a regular spot in the Scotland’s squad. His father, former Aberdeen striker Lee Miller, believes his boy has developed rapidly in the last seven months.

“The training, the lifestyle, everything about it is changing him,” he said. “I see a massive change in him. He's grown up a lot since he's been away from home. Bear in mind we go and see him quite a lot. I think Lennon spoke to Aaron Hickey when he first went over and was in the squad with him. He said to him ‘listen, be patient, because you might be featured now and again once you're up to speed.

“It’s when they [Udinese] think they're up to speed. I thought he was ready and was good enough to play. But they want you to bed in, do your Italian lessons, get used to the whole surroundings and then you're in. But that was what we were told at the start. Training-wise, he's doing well, he's up to speed. He's bulked out, he's on a strict diet. He was in ‘Fat Club’ when he first got there. You're like, ‘Fat Club?.’ But it's just a totally different way of looking at a footballer as a person, as a project.

“When he started at Motherwell, he was thrown out of the deep end. He was always a player that played. So, for him right away to just be benched, mentality-wise he’s had a shift. You do the programmes, do your health eating, and it's totally changed the way he's looking at being a footballer. Whereas all he was doing [before] was just go and play football.”

A city of around 98,000 inhabitants and located in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy, the midfielder’s father has praised Udine for its laid back attitude to life. Celebrated more for its rich art history, Miller senior says it has been the perfect location for his son to develop both on and off the pitch.

“Udine as a place is just a small city,” he said. “Chilled out cafes, no crazy nightlife or anything like that. Not that he's interested in that. He’s just a quiet boy, enjoys spending time with himself. Living himself and cooking for himself - although he gets most of his meals prepared for him, because they want to see and know exactly what you're putting into your body and fuelling your body. The food's better, the coffee's better, everything, the lifestyle, the weather.

“He doesn't like coffee. I’m devastated. They're frowning on you saying ‘you don’t like cappuccino?’ But even his Italian's coming on leaps and bounds. He's nearly there where he could do a full interview in Italian, which is incredible.”

Lee Miller was speaking on behalf of William Hill, the SPFL’s title partner. Check out the weekly preview show here.