Lewis Miley may contend for a first-team spot this season
By Cade Cracas
Since the end of the 2022-2023 Premier League season, the talk of the town has centered around young prospect midfielder, Lewis Miley, and his impressive play in the season finale against Chelsea. Over time it was expected that his name would slowly fade out of the headlines as his path to the first-team squad would be difficult, but Manager Eddie Howe has once again sparked up the hype around Miley.
After the team competed against Chelsea in their United States Summer Tour, Howe put the world on notice that Miley could see a heightened role with the team in the coming 2023-24 campaign.
“The plan has been consistent in my mind,” he said. “He will stay with us this season. There’s no thought of sending him on loan.”
Just a few days ago it was confirmed that the Magpies moved on from left-back Jamal Lewis within their first-team squad and sent him to EFL Championship side, Watford.
Normally, the youngsters for Newcastle are given time to grow and thrive at lower levels to polish their raw talent, but for Miley, Howe sees something different.
“For me, he’s too young to be exposed to that at the moment. I think he needs to stay with his family and to train with us and to learn and develop around the players we have,” he said.
Miley will continue to work with the first-team players, giving him the ability to play against some of the top competition in the Premier League and in all of Europe. The Magpies will be competing in the Champions League in late September, and having depth on the team will be important.
In the attacking midfielder position, the 17-year-old offers a rare level of poise and comfort that is not seen by many at that young age. He also provides a nice touch, quick speed with the ball and an overall clean shot that was showcased against Chelsea.
“I don’t think he’s surprised me because I’ve seen it for six months, including at the back end of last season, just how well he was developing and how strong he looked in the group,” said Howe. “Physically is always the biggest test for someone so young but he’s a very, very good athlete, he’s strong and a good size and he looks like he can handle the environment he’s in. The next step is to push him and develop him and I’m sure he’ll get minutes this year.”