Retired striker claims he picked Ibrox move despite Leeds and West Ham wanting him

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Rangers beat a number of clubs to Kenny Miller in 2000.

Former Rangers striker Kenny Miller has told Open Goal that he had interest from Leeds United and West Ham United before picking a move to Ibrox.

Miller recently announced his retirement after leaving Partick Thistle, hanging up his boots at the age of 40 after a strong career in Scotland and abroad.

The Scot has now been talking about his career, and has opened up about his career – including the early years as he cut his teeth at Hibernian.

14 goals in 53 games for Hibs was a good enough record for Rangers to see potential, and they swooped to sign Miller in June 2000, having him a five-year deal.

Miller scored 11 times in 38 games for Rangers before moving on to Wolves, then making a controversial move to Celtic, and then returned to Rangers for a second spell in 2008.

Miller and Rangers have enjoyed a strong partnership over the years having returned for a third spell in 2014, but it all could have been so different.

The former striker has admitted that both Leeds United and West Ham United wanted to sign him when he was emerging, but he chose to sign a new deal instead of pursuing the Leeds avenue, and then picked Rangers over West Ham months later.

When Rangers came calling, Miller knew he wanted to go there, and Hibs even let him go there despite West Ham’s bid being more lucrative – and with 116 goals across 301 games in three spells at Rangers, his decision may well have been the right one.

“It was quite early,” said Miller. “I would think it was around about Christmas (1999), just before Christmas, there was quite a bit of talk I think. There was Leeds, that was always heavily rumoured, and then I signed a new contract in January.”

“There was a few things going on, I was on holiday at the time, I’d left my phone in the villa and came back to about 30 missed calls, from my mum, my dad, my agent. Hibs had accepted a bid from Rangers, and I think there was a bid from West Ham on the table as well. I said ‘I want to go to Rangers, I want to go’. I think there was a good bit more money from West Ham on the table,” he added.