Interest in Motherwell star Lennon Miller 'becoming more concrete and specific'

Jens Berthel Askou has revealed that interest in star player Lennon Miller is becoming “more concrete and specific” as it looks increasingly likely that the teenager’s future is away from Fir Park.

The Motherwell manager won’t rule out including the midfielder in his squad for this weekend’s Premiership opener if he proves his fitness in training on Friday after a minor pre-season injury.

But the 18-year-old looks set for a move from Motherwell this window, with reports in Italy claiming Bologna and Udinese are competing to sign the Scotland international.

Askou said: “A lot of things are going on and have been for a while, and the interest is increasing every day and every week for Lennon.

“There is extensive interest from a lot of places and it is becoming more and more concrete and specific.”

Looking ahead to their game against Rangers on Saturday, Askou, who replaced Michael Wimmer after the German’s departure at the end of last season, stressed the need for bravery and togetherness.

The Dane has been looking for his side to play out from the back, and they emerged from the League Cup group stage relatively unscathed, with 11 points and a second-round trip to St Johnstone secured.

A bigger test awaits on Saturday as he comes up against a former teammate in Russell Martin, as both men make their Premiership debut in the dugout.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, he said: “We want to reach out for things, we want to be brave while we’re doing that and not protective and defensive.

“I expect us to try and do what we want to do and not let the level of Rangers and the level of difficulty stress us and take away our courage to do what we want to do, and to do what we know we are best at instead of trying to just do it very basically and with fear and stepping away from our principles.

“And I also expect us to do it in a very good way through many phases of the game.

“And then on top of that, I expect it also to be very, very difficult to do what we want to do on and off the ball at times. And that’s where we have to be really, really good when we feel the game is getting tough, we’re making a few more mistakes, Rangers are really showing their abilities. That’s where we have to help each other.

“I hope and I expect that everyone around us and behind us will help us through these periods and cheer for us also when we need it the most.”

Askou appears to have a similar approach to the game as his former Norwich colleague.

He said: “A lot of the younger generation – I still consider me part of that – are looking into different ways to develop the game than the older generation traditionally have.

“And I think that’s why not only Russell and I but a lot of younger coaches share some similar vision and ideas, and we also get inspiration from each other and from what we see, what we try to develop.

“So I think you would find many younger coaches, but also coaches who are older than me, who try to play with bravery on the ball as one of their headlines.

“I’m pretty sure that over time we will reap the benefits of what we’re trying to do, both in terms of results, in terms of attractiveness for the fans, and in terms of personal growth and development as a team and as a club, creating more value within the squad for future revenue.”