Scotland have secret World Cup weapon in Italy – and it’s not Scott McTominay or Billy Gilmour

Scotland have taken over Italian football – and Lennon Miller will hope Serie A success can propel him to the World Cup this summer.

The 19-year-old is one of six players who have featured in Steve Clarke‘s squads this season who are starring in Italy’s top-flight.

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Scott McTominay headlines an illustrious group of Scottish talent, alongside Napoli teammate Billy Gilmour, Lewis Ferguson at Bologna, Sassuolo‘s Josh Doig, Torino striker Che Adams, and now, Miller.

“We played Napoli a few weeks ago and I’ve spoken to Scott McTominay,” the teenager told talkSPORT Breakfast. “I spoke to Che the other day as well.

“All they’ve had is high praise for the league and stuff, which is good. And I’m just happy to be in such a top league.”

The midfielder, the son of former Middlesbrough and Carlisle United striker Lee Miller, burst onto the scene as a teen at Motherwell.

Joining the club’s academy at seven years old, he made his full debut at 16 and captained the club at 18, against Rangers in the 2024 Scottish League Cup semi-final at Hampden Park.

Miller reveals why Udinese

The club’s No.38 earned his first senior Scotland call-up in March last year and was linked with both sides of the Old Firm and Liverpool.

However, he followed several of his compatriots to Italy in August after sealing a £4.5million move to Serie A side Udinese.

Miller continued: “There was loads of chats. Obviously, me, my agent, my parents and stuff.

“So we had to weigh up the pros and cons of all of them. And obviously spoke to a few boys that had moved over here as well.

“This suited me for the long run and for now. So it’s been a good move.”

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Scotland takeover of Italy

Miller earned his first Serie A start of the season earlier this month against Adams’ Torino, with an all-Scottish affair now commonplace.

In fact, the four-cap international will have a Tartan Army double header next month when Udinese face Sassuolo and then Bologna.

“There’s obviously been a lot of young Scottish players that have come over and done really well,” Miller added to talkSPORT.

“Obviously [Brentford defender] Aaron Hickey, who’s now in the Premier League, went to Bologna and stuff. So there’s loads of young players, and they’re getting a chance and either moving on to bigger and better things or winning MVPs and stuff and getting nominated for the Ballon d’Or. So no, that was obviously a big part of it.

“But I just want to be another one that can either further my career and do well.”

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He continued: “Also, another reason was to learn a different language because you never know when you might need that as well.

“It obviously helps when you’re in a changing room, and you hear a new language every day.

“It was a big change to move out of the family home and move to a completely different country. But it’s one that I’ve really enjoyed.”

Accent issues? “Yes, every single person in the building,” he joked. “I need to talk so much slower.

“We’ll get one or two English boys, who can kind of understand me, but everybody else, I need to change my accent.

“I do speak fast, and I’ve got a pretty strong Scottish accent, which is hard enough to understand if you’re from England. But the Italians need it slower.”

World Cup hopes

Injury forced Miller to pull out of the Scotland squad in November, which ultimately sealed World Cup qualification for the tournament.

Yet he has hit the ground running in early 2026, starting his first two Serie A matches back-to-back in which Udinese went unbeaten.

On forcing his way onto the plane this summer, Miller said: “First of all, I need to concentrate on the Cup and get as many minutes as I can.

“I’ve obviously started the last two games, which is nice. So no, I want to play as much as I can here.

“Obviously, the dream is to go to the USA in the summer.”

Scotland begin their first World Cup campaign since 1998 against Haiti on 14 June before playing Morocco and Brazil in a tough Group C.