Captaining your club and being called up to play for Scotland's senior team at just 18 years of age can lead to a multitude of consequences. Increased pressure, hype and limelight immediately spring to mind. Transfer speculation perhaps ranks above all.
Even Lennon Miller himself, though, has no clue where he'll end up next season. "Honestly, I don't know," he replied when asked whether he thinks he'll be a Motherwell player come the beginning of the 2025/26 campaign.
"I don't even ask my agent. I just let him deal with it. We've got three games left of the season. That's my main focus, to pick up points for Motherwell and see where that takes us.
"It becomes easier once you've had it [transfer speculation]. It's easier just to put it to one side once you've had it for two years now. It's easy enough. But it's nice to have these teams linked with you, but I try to put it to one side and try and focus on every day."
Celtic, Rangers, Union Saint-Gilloise and Eintracht Frankfurt are just a few teams who have been mentioned in conversations surrounding Miller's long-term future. The Italian job, however, appears attractive.
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Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour, whom Miller would have spoken to when included in Scotland's senior squad last month, are close to winning the Scudetto with Napoli.
Che Adams has thrived in Serie A, with Aaron Hickey's time at Bologna ultimately paving the way for a multi-million-pound switch to Brentford in the English Premier League.
Josh Doig was also recently promoted back to Italy's top flight after a fine Serie B campaign with Sassuolo. "You look at these players who have went abroad and tried a different challenge and most of them have worked. I don't mind where I am as long as I'm playing football. That's what I want to do, I want to play football."
It wasn't much of a surprise to see Miller voted as PFA Scotland's Young Premiership Player of the Year for the 2024/25 season. Other than a brief spell on the sidelines at the beginning of 2025, he has been one of the first names on the Motherwell team sheet this term, whether it be under the stewardship of the now-departed Stuart Kettlewell, interim boss Stevie Frail or Michael Wimmer. "Obviously, you dream of playing at 16 and securing your name on the team sheet every week and to be doing that now at 18 is nice. I try to get better every day.
"I could thank so many people [at Motherwell], from the people in the academy to the people who gave me my debut, and the manager now. I could name so many. I'd just like to thank everybody at Motherwell that has helped me in any way. It's been an amazing club and a lovely club to be honest."
Miller beat Heart of Midlothian's James Wilson, Hamza Igamane of Rangers and £11 million man Arne Engels to the accolade. "You look at the nominees, and you look at the players that haven't been nominated, there's loads of young quality coming through in Scotland which is nice and to be the top of that is an extra bonus.
"It's hard to put into words. It's pretty surreal. For the players you play against every week to vote you as the best young player in the league is nice."
Inherent to Miller's almost meteoric Scottish football rise has been his impressive levels of maturity. For one so young, the midfielder plays and acts way beyond his years. His father, Lee, registered just shy of 600 professional appearances for the likes of Aberdeen, Hearts, and Dundee United, so it is perhaps no wonder his son has taken on board the familial genes. "He's [Miller senior] been brilliant. I tend to speak to him quite a lot about even game stuff, I talk to him about everything. He helps with most stuff. He's been brilliant. My whole family have been brilliant with it. My Dad is a massive part of what I do."
Miller senior has three Scotland caps to his name. Lennon has yet to follow in his old man's footsteps, although he admittedly came mightily close in March. Called up by Steve Clarke for his nation's UEFA Nations League A play-off tie with Greece, Miller ultimately had to make do with a place on the bench for both legs.
17-year-old Wilson, also a surprise inclusion to the squad, got on, yet there was no hint of jealousy. "The first time I met James was the Scotland camp. He's a brilliant boy and I really enjoyed my 10 days with him and I was over the moon for him. To see young Scottish players getting on and getting caps is what we want. We want more young players getting in the squads and playing as much as they can. I was over the moon for him."
Clarke didn't take Miller to one side, even though he may have been disappointed not to get on against Greece at Hampden. "I don't think it's his job to. He's got plenty of more worries than trying to talk to an 18-year-old to tell him to be happy that he even made the squad. Listen, I don't really need that anyway. I've had a good season at Motherwell. I'll try and keep my head down and try to get back in for the friendlies."
Scotland take on Iceland and Liechtenstein next month as their preparations for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers begin. Playing in either of the match-ups would end Miller's season perfectly. "Obviously I was there earlier in the season and once you go once and get a wee sniff of it you want to go as many times as you can. A first cap would top off the season."
Safe in the knowledge that they won't automatically be relegated, Motherwell still have three games to go before the current campaign is out. With just a solitary goal contribution to his name since the turn of the year, Miller's objective against Hearts, Kilmarnock and Ross County couldn't be more apparent. "Firstly, to become a better player. It's what I want to do every day, but I want to get a few more goals and assists, to be honest. I still have to get goals and assists, they've kind of dried up after my injury, so I have to get back on that.
"It's what everyone looks at, 'How many goals have you scored?, How many assists have you got?' Obviously, scoring goals and assisting feel the best in the game. Helping your team win, it's what you want to do, and that's what I want to try and do."
