Miller might now regret ‘best player’ claim – McGinn

Location: Piraeus’ Karaiskakis Stadium on Thursday, March 20, 2019 19:45 GMT

Lennon Miller may regret saying he could soon become Scotland’s best player, but John McGinn has backed the teenager to make his nerve-wracking squad debut with flying colors, just as he did nine years ago.

The Motherwell midfielder has been given a call-up for the Nations League play-off match against Greece.

The 18-year-old said when he learned he was in the squad, “I’m obviously not going to go in and be the best player there, but I believe I could be the best player there in a couple of months.”

According to Scotland assistant coach John Carver, Miller needed “a little guidance” from the comment.

“He’s probably thinking, “Why did I say that?” I wonder. However, McGinn, 30, said that I made a lot of foolish remarks while passing through St. Mirren.

McGinn recalls that Charlie Adam questioned why Scottish Championship players were being called up on my first day of training, which wasn’t very helpful at the time.

He didn’t seem to be aiming his finger at me either personally or individually. Just the right timing, given that I was already a little anxious and frantic, was a bit of a disaster.

All the experienced boys were making fun of me at my first lunch at Mar Hall, saying, “You shouldn’t be in the squad.”

“My session wasn’t great until thirty minutes later. It involved a lot of nerves. I remember going back to my room and thinking, “I can’t compete at this level, they are too good,” as Shaun Maloney caused me to feel that way.

However, as the sessions progress, you become more comfortable and begin to express yourself more.

According to McGinn, Adam was not the only person who believed a second-tier player shouldn’t play for Scotland.

Gordon Strachan gave me that opportunity, and he flung me in for my debut that week, he said.

I remember that first game with Broony [Scott Brown], but I felt a lot of pressure on myself and felt it a little bit. You start to feel at home after receiving little bits of wisdom during the game, encouragement before the game, and support.

McGinn was named man of the match after 90 minutes for the 1-0 friendly win over Denmark, earning 73 caps.

Now he is eager to play alongside another 18-year-old squad debutant, Heart of Midlothian striker James Wilson, as well as a ” confident” player he has watched develop in action alongside his brother Paul at Fir Park.

They are not attempting to increase the numbers, McGinn continued.