Does Calvin Miller have a future at Celtic? He has this summer to prove his worth to Brendan Rodgers.
Celtic fans could be forgiven for completely forgetting about Calvin Miller.
After all, the 20-year-old left-back has only been given 11 minutes of first-team football by Brendan Rodgers since August – a cameo in last month’s draw with St Johnstone.
Miller, an academy graduate at Parkhead, is a popular figure among Celtic fans for that reason, but does he face a make-or-break summer ahead with regards to his future with the Premiership giants?
Speaking to The Scottish Sun, Rodgers described the youngster as “first class” after his 90-minute performance in the 2-0 win at Kilmarnock back in August.
But Miller has barely featured under the Northern Irishman since and with his contract set to expire in 2019, he could find it difficult to earn himself a new deal if Rodgers deems him surplus to requirements this summer.
He could, in theory, have a brilliant season-long loan at another Premiership club, but would that be enough to make the Hoops give him a brand new contract? Probably not.
But a loan seems like the best course of action. Is he going to displace Kieran Tierney any time soon? Again, probably not. Even if Celtic sell linked-away Tierney this summer, Rodgers will surely sign another left-back as a replacement, rather than promote from within.
If Miller – who can also play on the wing – is going to get a contract extension, he needs to put in serious work during pre-season training this summer. Anything less than and Celtic fans might have already seen the last of him.
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