Lewis Miley has been forced to drop out of the England squad at the U-19 EUROs due to injury, the FA have confirmed.
It had been hoped that this summer’s competition would be just what Miley needed to get his form back on track.
After enduring a difficult season on Tyneside, filled with injury and struggling for minutes in midfield, a chance to play for England would have been the perfect opportunity to get some more minutes under his belt after a broken foot kept him out last summer.
It’s a big blow to Will Antwi’s side, and it’s not yet clear just how it may impact Miley’s pre-season preparations.
Miley and Toon target drop out
In a statement, the FA said: “Will Antwi has added Tottenham Hotspur’s Reiss Russell-Denny and Crystal Palace’s Jesse Derry to his UEFA U19 Euro squad. This follows the withdrawal of Newcastle United’s Lewis Miley and Southampton’s Tyler Dibling.”
The news came before the Young Lions’ 2-2 draw against Norway, and Miley will now miss out on huge games against Germany and Netherlands.
Also absent is Tyler Dibling, as the Southampton winger (and a player who’s enjoyed serious links to us this summer) has also pulled out from the squad.
Miley’s withdrawal also means we won’t get to see him line up against new boy Antonio Cordero, who started Spain’s opening win against Denmark.
What next for Lewis Miley?
According to The Chronicle, Miley is managing a slight groin injury, thankfully not re-aggravating any injuries from the past 18 months.
It’s hoped he should be fit for our pre-season campaign, which included the Adidas Cup against Celtic and an Asian tour.
But the last time Miley completed 90 minutes for us came in the 4-3 win over Nottingham Forest earlier this year, which he co-incidentally scored in.
Without the momentum from the EUROs, many may think Miley will have to once again settle behind the starting trio of Joelinton, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes next season.
The 19-year-old has been linked with a move both within the Premier League and abroad in the search for first team minutes, and losing a local lad like him would be difficult to comprehend.
