This is an excerpt from this week's McGarry on Motherwell, a free Motherwell newsletter written by Graeme McGarry that goes out every Thursday at 6pm. To sign up, click here.
This isn't said solely because I don’t much fancy seeing Lennon Miller curl a rasper into the top corner at Fir Park for either side of the Old Firm, a la David Turnbull, next season, but when he does inevitably leave Motherwell this summer, I hope he broadens his horizons beyond these shores.
In fact, that desire is mostly motivated by a wish to see the newly-crowned Scottish Football Writers’ Association Young Player of the Year (the only award that really matters, let’s be honest) make the absolute best of his ability – both for him personally and for the national team.
Of course, money will talk, and if either Celtic or Rangers pony up the requisite dough, then fair enough. But if it comes down to a choice of heading to one of Glasgow’s big two and seeking a new adventure elsewhere, it would be great to see him plump for the latter.
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It is lamentable that such a talent will be playing in England’s League One next season. Hopefully he can rediscover his mojo at Cardiff City and help them back into the Championship, but a player of his ability should never have ended up there in the first instance.
Injuries have hampered him, but his stagnation and failure to so far reach the level we all thought possible when he burst onto the Fir Park scene can arguably be traced back to his troubles towards the end of his Celtic career.
Miller is a different type of player and is his own man, but a move to Celtic could pose similar issues to the ones Turnbull faced. Firstly, the age-old issue of actually getting a game.
Part of the reason behind Miller’s rapid rise to prominence has been the volume of matches he has played already by the age of 18. At this critical juncture in his development, he can’t afford to be sitting kicking his heels on a substitute’s bench.
That is an issue he may face no matter where he goes, of course, but with the pressure on the managers of both Celtic and Rangers, there has been precious few opportunities for young Scots in either of their sides of late.
If we take Celtic, then there will likely be a Reo Hatate-shaped hole in their midfield to fill next season. But with the likes of Paulo Bernardo and Luke McCowan already waiting in the wings and Brendan Rodgers sure to strengthen in the summer, I wouldn’t have too much faith that Miller would be accepted by their fans as the man to fill it.
On Saturday, despite Celtic already having the league sewn up and adopting a little rotation ahead of the Scottish Cup Final, they could still only offer some token minutes to one of their youth products.
Sean McArdle, who is two days short of a year younger than Miller, was handed his first team debut in the 85th minute of the win over Hibs, before he came on as an 81st minute substitute when Celtic were 4-1 up on Aberdeen on Wednesday night.
Over at Rangers, Miller doesn’t have to look too far to see how difficult it is to get meaningful game time, with the man he used to partner in the midfield through the Motherwell youth ranks, Bailey Rice, struggling to get an opportunity.
Before Rice left for Ibrox, the narrative goes that he was actually the one who was more widely predicted to go on and become the better player of the two, and while that may still happen, Miller is currently miles ahead of his old pal.
So, it seems clear to me that Miller would be best served joining the ranks of Scots flourishing abroad, following the path of the likes of Aaron Hickey, Lewis Ferguson, Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay in sampling a different culture and a different style of football.
As all of those mentioned have testified, they have become both better players and better people for the experience, and I think the technical excellence of Miller would flourish in a league such as Serie A or the Bundesliga.
So, with the greatest of respect to the big two here, I really do hope that the Kilmarnock game was Miller’s Fir Park swansong. Unless of course he fancies coming back to his roots in the autumn of his career for a couple of years.
And what a way it was to sign off. Miller may not be as flashy or as eye-catching as a Turnbull or a James McFadden - though his part in the third goal against Killie was a great example of his quality - but his ability is beyond question.
His passing range, his touch and his vision are up there alongside anyone who has donned the claret and amber in decades. He has been a pleasure to watch, and if he stays out of opposition colours, his progress will continue to be.
