With the very real chance that we play over 55, potentially 60 competitive games this season, there’s plenty of Newcastle United stars who we can expect to be handed minutes throughout the season.

Competition for minutes is tough for our midfield options however: the formidable trio of Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton were the beating heart of Eddie Howe’s best XI last season, and we can expect something similar this season.

New boy Jacob Ramsey, set to be announced as our latest signing of the summer, could potentially find himself as the favoured fourth choice option following on from Sean Longstaff’s departure, but for everyone else, they might not be so lucky.

So it’s no surprise that one of our best midfielders and youngsters is now being linked with an unlikely move down to the Championship?

Miley linked with surprise loan move

According to The Mail, Championship favourites Ipswich Town are attempting to sign Lewis Miley on loan.

Miley had previously been linked with a move away from his boyhood club earlier in the year over a lack of minutes, but those rumours never really progressed much further.

Ipswich meanwhile will be looking to bounce straight back into the top flight after suffering relegation last season, and are in desperate need of top-flight calibre talent to further improve their promotion hopes.

The Tractor Boys recently saw a £20m move for Hayden Hackney fall through, and have their eye on other Premier League names should Miley not make the move, with reporter Simon Jones listing Lewis Cook and Philip Billing from Bournemouth as options.

A step down? Or a step in the right direction for Miley’s career?

It still doesn’t feel too like long along ago that Miley was thrown into the deep end by Eddie Howe and was producing excellent performances in both the Premier League and Champions League in the wake of Sandro Tonali’s suspension.

But ever since his own return to the squad from injury, the 19-year-old has struggled to win minutes under Howe, despite some standout performances in the back half of last season and even a big goal against Nottingham Forest in the 4-3 win at St James’ Park.

We know Miley has world-class potential: much like fellow academy product Elliot Anderson, he has what it takes to be a future England star, but just lacks the minutes to show it.

So could a strong enough run in a dominant Championship side be the catalyst for Miley’s career getting better and better?

We know Howe likes to have six midfield options, so it’s unlikely we see Miley go out on loan anytime soon unless we’re planning to sign at least one more midfielder before the end of the window.