What next for highly-rated Motherwell teenager Miller?

With the transfer window open, one of the big stories in Scottish football is the future of Motherwell teenager Lennon Miller.

The 18-year-old midfielder has just one year left on his Fir Park deal, which means it is the club's final chance to get a significant fee for another successful academy player.

Miller has turned heads in the last two seasons in particular after initially making his debut six days after his 16th birthday in August 2022.

Last term he captained Motherwell several times and had another fine campaign, which culminated in his first Scotland cap and start.

His dad Lee, himself a former footballer, joked at an SPFL event marking the release of the new season's fixtures that "there's a different club every day" mentioned online as his son's next move.

However, as yet there have been no bids made. But what might the future hold for Scottish football's brightest young talent?

Clearly an 18-year-old who has played 76 first-team games, captained his club, and made his international debut possesses talent which is going to attract attention.

Since his debut Miller's close control, passing range, and vision have caught the eye.

Clubs across the world are data driven, always looking for young players with positive numbers who can be bought at a relatively low price, developed, and sold on.

A look at some of the numbers for central midfielders in the Scottish Premiership last season demonstrates why Miller would appear in lots of databases.

Already an adept set-piece taker, Miller grabbed eight assists for Motherwell, a tally only bettered by Rangers' Nicolas Raskin among central midfielders in the league.

Mostly a deeper-lying midfielder, he was deployed as one of two number 10s in the early part of the campaign for Motherwell, and ranked third among midfielders for chances created by the end of the season, as well as deliveries into the box.

As for the dirtier side of the game, only Celtic captain Callum McGregor won the ball back more times than Miller.

The teenager was also the most fouled central midfielder in the league, a nod to his ability to use his body to protect the ball in tight spaces, and his dribbling prowess too.

His passing accuracy as a whole is further down the charts, which hints at an area for development, but Motherwell's direct style and Miller's tendency to play riskier passes forward could also be behind the lower figure.

Of course individual statistics are not themselves the basis for signing players.

But what has been striking about Miller has been the calmness and confidence with which he has played since his debut.

He has often been keen to take responsibility, for example scoring an injury-time penalty against Dundee United to send Motherwell to the semi-finals of the League Cup.

Miller was similarly unbothered by his first Scotland start against Liechtenstein, putting in a standout display.

"He makes football look easy regardless of what game he plays in," his Motherwell team-mate Tony Watt posted on X after that game.

Miller and his dad have always maintained playing regularly is the priority.

Moving away from these shores might be his best chance to do that, while others also think it would be a good fit for his game.

Both Udinese and Union Saint-Gilloise reportedly had bids rejected for Miller in January, and they will unlikely to be the last offers coming in.

Talented young Scottish players have increasingly looked to move abroad in recent seasons.

Whether it is Aaron Hickey and Lewis Ferguson enhancing their careers while playing at Bologna, or Max Johnston tasting title success and Champions League football after leaving Motherwell for Sturm Graz in Austria, the template is there.

Others like recent Scotland debutants Josh Doig and Andy Irving have also progressed in their careers through playing regularly abroad, while there is the influence of more senior players Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour at Napoli.

"Lennon's next move is so important, because a lot of players will get sucked into going to just a massive club and going, right, I've arrived," dad Lee said.

"But there needs to be a lot of thought process, and there has been a lot of thought process of his next move, because it's a development move again.

"This is what we planned out for him, in terms of playing loads of games in the first team, doing really well, and it's on him to do that.

"There was a pathway there at Motherwell, and the next one, for me, is important because he has to play, he has to develop, he has to then kick on again.

"Once he's round about better players, no disrespect to the Motherwell players, but once he's round about top class elite players, he will then kick on again, in my opinion.

"And I think he has that inner belief, and it's not arrogance, it's just a belief. And he wants to play football."

Lots of Scottish teenagers have moved to Premier League academies before even playing a first-team game since Brexit, but Miller has chosen a different path.

And given his dad's comments about much he relishes playing regularly, a move to the top level in England seems less likely.

The only Premier League side linked so far is newly-promoted Sunderland, external.

With the club's owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus employing a strategy focused on young players, plus the record sale of Jobe Bellingham to Borussia Dortmund, it makes sense they would be interested in Miller.

Whether it materialises into an offer remains to be seen.

The Premiership champions are the only Scottish club talked about when it comes to signing Miller from Motherwell.

A young Scottish player with lots of potential is exactly the type of signing Celtic would hope to make, especially given the lack of academy players making the first team in the last few years.

But with 32-year-old McGregor still the undisputed first pick at the base of Brendan Rodgers' midfield three, it could come down to how much time on the pitch Miller thinks he would get.

That, and whether Celtic can, or want to, meet Motherwell's asking price in a potentially competitive market.

For Miller's part he has stayed as calm as ever about what the future holds.

"I've got a year left on my contract so my focus is to go back into pre-season, work as hard as I can and get ready for the season," he said after his first Scotland start.

"You get these big clubs mentioned, but it is only speculation.

"You just need to try and focus on what you're doing and that will all take care of itself."