Elijah Just isn’t ignoring the noise — he’s just choosing not to listen to it.
The Motherwell winger has been one of the standout performers in the Premiership this season, and that hasn’t gone unnoticed. Interest from Celtic and Rangers is building, but the 25-year-old is keeping his attention firmly on the pitch.
He’s been nominated for PFA Player of the Year after a brilliant debut campaign at Fir Park, and with a World Cup on the horizon, he’s not letting anything distract him.
“Of course, you can’t help but notice it. And it’s always nice when people are talking about you,” Just said.
“But, for me personally, I’m just focused on the last four games, the World Cup. I’ve still got lots of football to play before I have to even think about my future.
“Obviously, we’re still competing for a European spot. So that’s also something exciting that’s just around the corner. And I’ve told my agent that I don’t want to hear about anything that goes on, anything about anyone that’s got in contact with him, he hasn’t told me.
“I’ve said to him, ‘Just leave me to focus on the football’. It’s obviously going well at the moment, so I don’t want anything to mess that up.”
It’s a mature approach from a player whose stock has risen quickly since arriving from Danish side AC Horsens last summer. His creativity and end product have made him one of the league’s most effective attacking players, and a key figure in Motherwell’s push for Europe.
Just credits much of that progress to the environment he’s stepped into, particularly his reunion with manager Jens Berthel Askou, who he previously worked with in Denmark.
“When I signed for Motherwell I was at a stage in my career where I’d been mostly playing in the second leagues around Europe,” he explained.
“I hadn’t really achieved anything that I wanted to achieve when I left New Zealand. So when I had the opportunity to come, I knew that would be a step up and a huge test for me.
“And then I was lucky enough to be welcomed in with a good group of players. Obviously, I’d worked for the gaffer before, but the rest of the coaching staff also.
“It just helped me to be myself. The way we play has been pretty well suited to how I like to play. I think it’s just been such a good team effort. I’m so pleased that I’ve been able to be a part of it and help the team out as best I could.”
His impact has been reflected in the PFA shortlist, where he’s joined by teammate Tawanda Maswanhise and Hearts pair Claudio Braga and Lawrence Shankland.
Even so, Just admits this season has gone beyond what he expected when he first arrived.
“Yeah, absolutely,” he said.
“I think when I came in, it was a little bit late into pre-season. But for a lot of boys, everything was quite new. Obviously, change of coach, quite close to the start of the season, a lot of new players coming in. We were, I think, fortunate to start quite well.
“We had a few close results in the League Cup, but we started strong with the draw against Rangers.
“And the fans got behind us pretty fast. I don’t think in the beginning of the year most people had us finishing in, hopefully, the top four. So definitely exceeded expectations.”
For now, the transfer talk can wait. Just has bigger priorities — and if his current form is anything to go by, the attention isn’t going anywhere.