The Tigers ace has eyes on this summer’s World Cup on Canadian soil
Hull City star Liam Millar is relishing being back on international duty with Canada(Image: Pro Sports Images)
Liam Millar admits it’s hard leaving his young family to go away on international duty, but says the chance to play for his country remains a special honour.
Millar is part of Jesse Marsch’s Canadian squad for two friendlies over the next few days against Iceland and Tunisia in Toronto, as the City winger and his colleagues prepare for this summer’s World Cup.
Excitement is building in Canada ahead of the tournament, with BMO Field in Toronto hosting the nation’s opener on June 12, along with five other games, and Vancouver’s BC Place hosting seven of the 104 games between June 11 and July 19.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest Hull City news and analysis on our Hull Live FB page
The City winger has been a regular in Sergej Jakirovic’s squad in recent weeks since recovering from the knee ligament injury which ruled him out for almost all of last season, and made his 26th appearance in the 3-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday last weekend, which kept the Tigers firmly in the promotion race.
With a newborn in his family, there have been plenty of sleepless nights in recent weeks, but being away will give him the chance to catch up, though he admits it’s not easy being away from a young family for a prolonged period of time.
It’s his call-up is his first since October, having missed games in November with a hamstring setback he sustained against former club Charlton Athletic.
“It’ll be a bit of quiet time. It’s obviously great to be able to go away again and hopefully be able to get those minutes again with Canada,” Millar said ahead of his return to his homeland. “At the end of the day, it’s always hard. I’ve been with my kids for so long now; it’s always hard leaving them. I’m sure my daughters or my wife won’t be happy that I’m going, but they’ll be happy when they see me on TV.”
The 26-year-old admits getting himself back fit and available for the World Cup was one of the big driving forces during a long and difficult rehab from the ACL injury that ended his season after suffering it in October 2024 in a 1-1 draw with Burnley at the MKM Stadium.
“Through my knee, it was obviously one of the driving factors for me to get back fit for the summer. It’s something that’s always in my mind, but I try my best to keep it at the back of my mind.
“I think prior to the last World Cup, I think it was really in my mind, the last World Cup, to play in the World Cup for Canada because it was our first time in 36 years, so it was really in the front of my mind and I felt like at that point my performance had dropped quite a bit four years ago.
“This year, all I’ve been really trying to focus on is just game by game, trying to go game by game, trying to do the best that I can in every game because I know that if I play well and I stay fit, then hopefully I’ll be there.
“That’s just my full focus is just at the moment, just trying to be the best version of myself every day and to play as best as I possibly can, and then whatever happens in the summer happens, and we’ll go from there when it happens.”
Millar believes the arrival of ex-Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch has also helped Canada’s preparations for the tournament, bringing added self-belief.
“I think the biggest thing for us is just self-belief. Jesse’s always come in, and a very stereotypical Canadian thing is that we’re all too nice. It’s a very stereotypical thing of all of us, and Jesse has told us that he wants us to have a little bit more of American arrogance, his words, not mine. I feel like that’s something that we’re starting to get a little bit better at.
“We’re starting to believe in ourselves more. We’re starting to understand that we are a good team, that we do have a good chance. We’re not trying to get too far ahead of ourselves, but we do have much more self-belief than I feel like we definitely had at the last World Cup for sure.”
Here at Hull Live , we are dedicated to bringing you the best Hull City coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group.
You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.
England’s 2026 World Cup kits
England and Nike have launched the new home, away and goalkeeper kits to be worn at this summer’s FIFA World Cup.