Peter Houston believes Kenny Miller’s showing in the Carling Cup final proves he has plenty left to offer for club and country.

The 32-year-old put in a tireless shift during Cardiff City’s defeat on penalties to Liverpool on Sunday, playing in support to striker Rudy Gestede.

“I see Kenny Miller still being a massive part of the Scotland [squad],” said Houston.

“If you noticed him yesterday, he was doing all the running back up the park as well. He was letting Gestede stay up front and he was dropping into midfield.

“That tells you a lot about him. You look at his fitness levels and the amount of running about he does during the course of a game.

“He's played many times as a lone striker for Scotland and everyone compliments him on his work rate.

“He's a generally fit guy. He hasn't any excess baggage in weight, he looks after himself and he's a credit to himself for that.”

Miller has played alone up front for Scotland for the majority of Craig Levein’s tenure and his shown improvement in the position, combining goal scoring duties with clever link-up play.

“I think he has become a better player as he has got older,” Houston added. “When he was younger, he was all full of energy and full of pace.

“I think he's learned the game more and got wiser. Some of the runs he makes are very intelligent, off-the-ball runs and creating space.”