The return of Newcastle’s biggest Academy talent – What next for Lewis Miley

Lewis Miley has just come back from an injury that left him out for several months. I feel as if a lot of us, including me, have forgotten how good this lad is. So, here is a deep dive into the young Geordie midfielder.

Lewis Miley is an 18-year-old midfielder who made his competitive debut on the last day of the 22/23 season against Chelsea at 16 years old, becoming Newcastle’s youngest-ever Premier League player. The following season, due to an injury crisis, Lewis was able to collect 26 appearances for the Toon and impressed in those games, collecting one goal and four assists. Since then, he picked up back and foot injuries which left him out from March to the end of October, where he got a late sub appearance in our 2-0 cup win over Chelsea. He recently made his debut for the England under 21’s side at 18 – a hugely impressive feat given his recent injury issues – and was able to get some minutes under his belt against Spain and the Netherlands. Miley was left out of our squad during Monday’s 2-0 defeat to West Ham, losing his place following Wilson and Trippier’s return, but the Geordie talent still has a big role to play this season and for many years to come.

Strengths on the ball

One of his biggest strengths is how he retains and recycles possession, he is so good at keeping the team ticking and keep the ball moving quickly. He offers sufficient support for Bruno in build up and can also help combine in those wide triangles. Lewis is also so mature for his age, the composure he has on the ball is so impressive. He is a great passer and has a wide range of passes, switches, through balls, bounce passes. There aren’t many passes this lad can’t do. Another strength of his on the ball game, is his ability to turn. Miley often tries to receive the ball on his back foot to try and open up the game and maximize his angles. He is great on the half turn as well. Finally, the way he uses his body in possession is great to see. He knows he hasn’t got the pace or burst to take a defender on so will often put himself between the man and the ball to attempt to win a foul or just retain possession and recycle it, this again highlights his game intelligence.

Strengths off the ball

One of his strengths are his runs of the ball, he is great at making them runs down the channel and timing them perfectly, helps our wide triangles become more fluid but also with his ball retention, it allows us to progress up the field. I think Miley has great defensive instincts as well, especially when defending in his box. He is quick to get out to block, he knows what areas to cover, he knows what space to fill and who to mark. The use of his legs. Miley has very long legs, especially when you account that he is 6’2. He uses them so well as well, often making lunging tackles, blocks and just getting them in front of his opponent to either win a foul or retain the ball. Finally, I think he is a great presser of the ball. The timing of his sprints, his angle of his runs and his understanding of when to be intense in his actions. It is no surprise that the under 21 manager wanted him in the first line of press on Monday.

Room for improvement

His use of height, I think Miley is great in his ground duels, but he isn’t as good in aerial ones despite his height. He needs to be more dominant but also judge the flight of the ball better, he can often miss header that should be his all day. I think his first touch is a bit inconsistent, especially when receiving the ball in his path when he is running the channel. I think he just needs to try and focus on controlling the ball in this situation, he is always trying to think ahead, which is good but, in this situation, he should try and get the touch right. His speed is also an issue, he doesn’t cover ground quick enough and can be caught out when trying to track back, I am sure it can be worked on due to his age, but it is one reason why I don’t trust him as a six. I always struggle with negatives in these pieces, apologies if I have missed any out.

His role

There has been plenty of discourse on which position Miley should play. He has played in each midfield role of us since his debut in 2023, so I am going to analyse each of these roles and why Miley is suited/not suited for that position.

I am going to start off with the No.6 role (holding midfielder). For me this is not Miley’s position, I think he is very passive with the ball, which is fine to an extent but in this position, we need someone who will take more risks in possession. We will be too reliant on progression through the centre backs. Also, off the ball Miley is slow and doesn’t cover ground quick enough, we need someone in this position who can cover lots of ground and give sufficient support to the defence, especially when defending counters. One positive of having Miley play here is his positional discipline but this isn’t enough for me to trust him there.

Now onto right centre midfield role. For me this is the role which is best suited to Miley. It allows him to be included in all phases of play, he can offer support for Bruno, is disciplined positionally and his off the ball runs down the channel are great and help keep our RHS rotations fluid, I think he strikes the perfect balance on that side of the pitch just like Longstaff, one of the reasons why I’d prefer him over Longstaff.

Finally, the left centre midfield role. I don’t mind him here, he makes good runs off the ball, links play nicely in the channel and retains the ball in good situations. I thought him and Gordon play well together, but my main issue is Miley is great at cutting the ball back on the right. However, he can’t do that as effectively on the left. He is good at receiving the ball on his left foot but first time crosses and cut backs are not great.

In conclusion, I think Miley being back is a huge positive for us. This is one of the best talents to come out of Little Benton in a long time. Technically he is sound, not amazing but does the basics extremely well, but his physical potential is scary and what better manager to maximize that than Eddie Howe. His game intelligence is also amazing for an 18 year old, you don’t ever see this sort of maturity from a player that young. For me, he is ready for consistent minutes, he should be above Longstaff in the pecking order. If Longstaff’s contract is extended I hope, he is willing to accept less game time as Miley is soon going to be taking over. The option of Miley and Sandro as our right centre midfield options is exciting. One offers security and retention and the other offers technical mastery and ground coverage. I can’t wait to see Lewis back getting minutes in a Newcastle United shirt.