Former Caley Thistle ace Liam Polworth has revealed that training with teenagers at Motherwell was a side of football he didn’t exactly enjoy.
Now on the hunt for a new club, the 26-year-old confirmed that John Hughes was in the hunt to take him to Ross County before Yogi failed to land the permanent boss job in Dingwall.
With Malky Mackay now the Victoria Park gaffer and no talks between Polworth and his old club Inverness taking place, despite speculation, it looks like he’ll be moving to another top-flight side.
Creating chances for the Steel Men – the most in the league – to being frozen out
Polworth, who moved from the Caley Jags to Motherwell two summers ago, had a stand-out opening year in the claret and amber, creating more chances than any other Premiership player.
A change of manager at Fir Park saw Graham Alexander replace Stephen Robinson and, despite playing the first few games under the new boss, the fall-out began when he was sent off in a 2-0 loss at Aberdeen for dissent.
Before Alexander came in, Polworth knocked back a fresh Well deal and he played just once more under Alexander following the red card at Pittodrie.
He explained: “I was offered a new contract just before January and I turned that down. A few other things happened after that and things didn’t work out for multiple reasons, which is the best way for me to put it.
“So, once I had turned down the contract there, it then became a long and frustrating six months.”
Polworth went from the highs to lows in Lanarkshire within 18 months.
He said: “In the first season we finished third in the league and someone told me the stats showed that I created the most chances in the league.
“That first season was really productive. Even the start of my second season, we had a few European games, which was a great experience.
“I played the first few games under the new manager and got sent off at Aberdeen and, after that, things didn’t go to plan.
“It has been an eye-opening six months. I have got to see the other side of football.
“At the age of 26, you are sent away to train with kids of 14 or 15. I am just glad it’s over and I can move on.”
Staggies switch looked on the cards
It looked as if Hughes was going to throw Polworth a lifeline out of Motherwell by luring him to Ross County, however, the change of manager in Dingwall last month ended any hopes of a Highland return for the ex-Scotland Under-21s man.
He explained: “Yogi was my manager at Inverness and he’s watched my career since then.
“Obviously a lot has changed for me, playing-wise and he was interested, trying to get me to come back up the road.
“I’m from up the road and it would have been be ideal for my family, close to our friends and for our kids it would have been ideal.
“When Yogi left Ross County, I haven’t heard anything since in terms of a move back north. It was mainly John speaking to me directly.”
After confirming that he’s not spoken to ICT about a switch back home, Polworth added: “I do want to stay at this level and I have been speaking to a couple of different teams.
“I just want to see which one best suits me in terms of my family.”
