What next for Lewis Miley? | OneFootball

Newcastle United’s first choice midfield trio of Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes, and Sandro Tonali is among the best in world football.

All three have been in outstanding form this season, making it difficult to justify dropping any of them (when fit).

However, this incredible consistency has created an unintended consequence: a lack of opportunities for Lewis Miley.

Last season’s injury crisis, coupled with Sandro Tonali’s season-long ban, forced Newcastle to throw the young midfielder into the deep end.

Lewis Miley, despite his age and inexperience, adapted remarkably quickly. In what was a largely disappointing campaign for the club, his emergence was one of the biggest highlights. At just 17 years old, he didn’t look out of place in the Champions League, holding his own against some of the best midfielders in Europe.

Unfortunately, a series of injuries sidelined him for nearly a year, pushing him out of the first team picture.

With his prolonged absence, some Newcastle United fans may have forgotten just how special a talent we have on our hands.

Now that he’s back to full fitness, however, he’s struggling for minutes due to the strength of our current midfield. Given the crucial developmental stage he’s at, this lack of game time could hinder his progress.

Even when Eddie Howe does make midfield changes, he appears to prefer to introduce Sean Longstaff or Joe Willock over Miley.

As a result, the youngster has been limited to late game cameos, or starts in the FA Cup against lower league opposition. His standout moment this season came in the cup tie against Bromley, where he equalised with a stunning long range strike in a commanding display that proved he hasn’t lost his touch, however, we haven’t had much of an opportunity to see more of that quality since.

On Saturday at Man City, the teenager did get decent Premier League minutes, though it came with United already 3-0 down. Replacing Joe Willock at the break, Lewis Miley did himself no harm in being Newcastle’s best performer in that second half, though not a great deal of competition from his teammates.

Looking ahead, Newcastle United could undergo a major squad overhaul in the summer, which may push Lewis Miley even further down the pecking order.

If that happens, a loan move might be the best way to ensure his development stays on track. While he may not be ready to displace our current starters just yet, we cannot afford to let our most talented academy graduate in over a decade, go to waste.

The club must carefully manage Miley’s next steps, whether that means giving him more opportunities in the first team ahead of Longstaff and Willock, or sending him on loan to a club where he can play regularly at a decent level. One thing is certain, he has too much potential to be sitting on anybody’s bench.