MILLER IS NO LONGER DAFT NOW HE’S A DAD

CELTIC left-back Calvin Miller believes the birth of his daughter Olivia turned him from a ‘daft kid’ to a mature player overnight. It was back in April 2015 when the now 19-year-old became a father — and he has since gone on to enjoy first-team experiences with Celtic. Part of Scot Gemmill’s Under-21 squad for the upcoming European qualifiers against Latvia and Ukraine in Perth, Miller admitted his mentality has shifted massively. ‘The minute she came just changed my life,’ he said. ‘It’s made me more focused and determined to go and make a life for my family. ‘I was definitely fairly immature before I had a kid. It was just one of those things that happens in life. Within the next day, I was mature. It changes you as a person. ‘She was the best thing that’s happened to me. She comes to my games, so I’ve got the support from her.’ Battling with Celtic team-mate and close friend Kieran Tierney for the left-back spot at club and country, Miller knows he has a real task on his hands to wrangle the shirt from the in-form Tierney. ‘He’s been excellent all season and if he was to stay at the end of the campaign, the fans would be more than happy and so would I,’ added Miller (right). ‘His consistency is just phenomenal but the gaffer has said I’m second choice, so if he did get an injury — which I hope he doesn’t — then I’m ready to go in and play. ‘I’m in there every day training with the first team and developing all the time, becoming a better player under a great manager. ‘You do feel like when you have been in the team once, you are always going to be in the squad, but I am still young and there are still great players ahead of me playing week-in, week-out. I just need to work hard in training. ‘It is a different intensity training with the first team, playing with the best players in Scotland. When you play with that calibre of player, they just teach you so much.’ The biggest task for Miller has been to adapt to his new defensive role having grown up playing as a forward. One youth team game against Manchester City where Celtic found themselves without a left-back has changed the path of Miller’s career to date. ‘When you are a young player who has grown up as an attacker, trying to score goals, then you don’t want to think: “I’m being put in defence”, but I’ve seen the positives from it,’ he said. ‘Someone like Ryan Bertrand did the same thing and won the Champions League so, although you might not think so straight away, there are positives to it.’