Talented Lennon Miller explains how he stays grounded amid Rangers hype as Scotland history runs in family

Miller is one of the hottest prospects in the Scottish top flight. The Motherwell midfielder has impressed, particularly in matches against Celtic and Rangers. His performances led to Ibrox hero and a distinguished midfielder himself in Barry Ferguson calling on his ex-club to make a move for the teenager. “Lennon Miller is the young man who has jumped out at me every time I have seen him play,” said Ferguson earlier this week. The hype is growing.

Speaking to Miller, you would not know it. He is the epitome of old head on young shoulders. This is the first time he has been included in the under-21s set-up and a deserved reward for such an impressive campaign. But with the guidance of his father Lee, a former Scotland internationalist who is a mentor as well as a father, Miller keeps his feet firmly planted on the ground.

“It's always a proud moment,” Miller said of the call-up. “I've played the young ages of Scotland, but to get called in for the 21s at such a young age is a proud moment for me and my family. It's obviously nice to get the call up at the end of the season. It's probably a benefit from my hard work during the season.”

Having a former footballer who has played at a high level with Aberdeen, Hearts and Middlesbrough among other clubs, is helping Miller when it comes to the calibre of club being linked with him. “He just kind of says ignore it, concentrate on yourself and getting better every day,” continued Miller. “Even about the house and just how you live properly and how to do things right. Then after games, he's giving me wee tips to get better. He's quite encouraging to be fair, I'm my hardest critic. I’ll say I've played average but he’ll then say I played really well. He's given me things that I've done well but he's not really hard.”

Miller snr’s exploits earned him three Scotland caps, two in Kirin Cup and one against Argentina at Hampden in 2008. “I've just seen the pictures of the Scotland games but he likes to show me the odd clip of him playing back in the day,” said Miller. “His goals and that, he likes showing me the odd video. It's nice to see your dad who had loads of experience in the game passing it down to me and hopefully it’ll stand me in good stead.”

Miller knows this is just the beginning. Nominated alongside eventual young player of the year David Watson, Lyall Cameron and Connor Barron – all four are in this Scotland U-21 squad – Lennon plans to just keep improving. “Obviously, you need to try to get better every day in training,” he added. “My dad, the coaching staff at Motherwell, the coaching staff here, always try to make me a better player. At the end of the day you need to become a better player every time you step onto the pitch and that’s what I'm trying to do.

“The experienced boys have accepted me into the group in the first team. Then there's been younger boys who are easier to talk to, they're more your age and they understand it. Then the boys in midfield who have obviously helped me tactically in the game.”