Ex Hibs star reveals chat with Easter Road favourite after ace's latest transfer as he addresses his next step
The former striker counts Hibs, Wolves, Rangers, Celtic and more on his CV.
He managed to squeeze in a chat with a Hibs favourite along the way - and now a former Easter Road striker is looking to what’s next after time across the globe.
Kenny Miller started his playing days at Hibs and it provided him the platform to sustain an impressive career, including a lengthy stint with Wolves while playing for both Rangers and Celtic. The former Scotland forward has moved into coaching and most recently joined ex-Celtic manager Ronny Deila as his number two in Abu Dhabi at Al Wahda and then in the MLS with Atlanta United.
It was a brutal season in which the club finished 14th out of 15 in the Eastern Conference, winning five games from 34, with Deila and Miller moving on. Also out in the MLS currently is Ryan Porteous, the popular former Hibs defender who swapped Watford for LAFC in the summer. Ex Hibs and Wolves man Miller met the centre-back for a chat while the former was Stateside, as his globe-trotting journey and what’s next was assessed.
Kenny Miller on working with Ronny Deila
Miller told Clyde 1 SSB: “It was obviously playing against his team for that couple of years he was at Celtic. Always, it's just a networking thing. It's a connection through agents, through people you know. We actually went down and met him prior to going out to Abu Dhabi.
“We never knew we were going out there, but I went down and watched the Chelsea vs Tottenham game, I think it was. It was at Stamford Bridge. We went down and met him, watched the game there.
“Just kept in touch. When the opportunity came up, they had asked my agent if I would fancy it and that was it. The rest is history. We've been at Abu Dhabi, had a good spell there for six months, went to Atlanta and had a not so good spell over the course of the season. It was a tough year. But again, it was an experience for the last 18 months, getting back into the game, which is obviously what I wanted to do.
How big are Atlanta United?
“That was great to get in with someone who's got the experience, who's got the success that he's had pretty much everywhere he's been. So it's been an interesting 18 months. Firstly in Atlanta, I mean, they set up the stadium, the training ground, it’s second to none. There's no expense spared in making sure that every of the pitches are right.
“The stadium is a national stadium and I think it was a $2 billion stadium. It's incredible. It's the Falcons, Atlanta Falcons stadium there, so it's a special, special arena to play in. Training ground's exceptional. The league in itself, there's so many good players. Inter Miami was one of our last games, actually, against with Sergio Busquets playing. It was Jordi Alba's second or third last game. He was retiring.
“Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, obviously the superstars in that team, but Heung-min Son just obviously went out as well. Ryan Porteous actually plays on his team. He's been out there, so had a good chat with him. He absolutely loves it out there as well. It was a great experience. It really was. Glad to be back, definitely glad to be back, and we'll see what the future holds.”