Ben Doak’s stunning Scotland breakthrough might have made the football world stand up and take notice – but Stuart Kettlewell insists there’s no chance Lennon Miller will have had his head turned by his former team mate’s rapid rise to international stardom.
The Motherwell boss knows there’s a clamour for his midfield starlet to be fast tracked into Steve Clarke’s squad just like Doak on the back of his impressive form for the Steelmen. However Kettlewell says the 18-year-old is so focused on his own career path that nothing anyone else is doing will knock him off track.
Miller and Doak were international team mates at under 16 and 17 level. But while the Liverpool winger was grabbing assists and man of the match awards in the Nations League against Croatia and Poland in the past week, Miller was turning out for the under 19s in Euro qualifiers against Wales, Liechtenstein and France.
And when he was asked how much motivation Doak’s emergence on the top level will give the Fir Park ace, Kettlewell said: “Nothing at all. I’m not being disrespectful in any way. What I think he is, is excellent for Scotland. I think Ben Doak is very good for Ben Doak. And I think he’s very good for Scotland in general.
“He’s a really exciting talent. Somebody that I’ve been watching for quite some time. He gets you off the edge of your seat. But again, these guys are all different characters and they’re all different personalities. It’s nice for young players in general to be able to see a young player playing in the national side. It’s good in getting those starts. But you watch Lennon walk about here. Lennon motivates himself. He knows where he wants to go and what he wants to do. And what he thinks he’s capable of.”
Miller was handed the Motherwell captaincy by Kettlewell last month in the absence of injured Paul McGinn and Stephen O’Donnell. His performances in the Steelmen’s engine room have caught the eye of Celtic, Rangers, Southampton and Liverpool. But while Doak made the move to Anfield from Celtic two years ago Miller continues to develop at his boyhood club.
And Kettlewell said: “Again, I’m not being disrespectful, it puts a smile on our face seeing somebody like Ben Doak play in the last couple of games in the level of opposition he’s playing against. But for Lennon, he just keeps getting his head into the next task that keeps coming. He’s taking it all on his stride and he’s doing it pretty well.”
Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football.