Newcastle United injury U-turn after midfielder ruled out for six months
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe has played down Lewis Miley’s chances of an injury return in the coming weeks.
The 18-year-old hasn’t featured for Newcastle, since March following a back injury that cut his breakthrough season short. After recovering Miley then sustained a broken metatarsal in June that has kept him out for the start of the 2024-25 campaign.
The teenager has since returned to light individual training at Darsley Park but Howe revealed the player is not close to being back in contention.
“Lewy Miley is still a long way off,” Howe admitted. “He’s back on the grass but he’s not back with us. He’s a long way [off] and we’ve still got the long-term injuries as well but there’s nothing fresh apart from that.”
Callum Wilson has been ruled out for another month with a hamstring issue while Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles are still recovering from ACL injuries. Miley broke into the Newcastle first-team last season and 26 appearances for the club.
His one goal for the club came in a 3-0 win over Fulham at St James’ Park in December 2023 and made him the club’s youngest ever Premier League goalscorer.
Earlier in the month Howe suggested Miley could be back in contention by the end of the month or early October but has now seemingly made a U-turn on his comments.
“He’s doing well, he’s back on the grass, it is great to see him with his boots on,” Howe said previously when asked for an update on Miley.
“The first time was last week. He’s on track I’d say for the three months he was given initially, I don’t see any big change from that.”
the Fulham feelgood factor was well and truly punctured last week by two devastating setbacks in the space of four days. Marco Silva’s side were twice punished for failing to take copious clear-cut chances against West Ham United – when Danny Ings demonstrated how to be
clinical by burying a 95th minute equaliser – and then in a marathon penalty shoot-out at Preston North End that saw the Whites eliminated from a competition at the third round stage by Championship strugglers. They will need to race their game this afternoon against a Newcastle United side who could go top of the Premier League should they continue their outstanding recent record at Craven Cottage.
The Magpies have won all of their last five fixtures at Fulham and head to London full of confidence as they target a third successive Premier League win for the first time since last September. Eddie Howe’s side might have reached the imperious heights of two seasons ago in the quality of their football and performances but they have ground results impressively this term and could be unbeaten after five top-flight fixtures for the first time since 2011. A victory over the Whites could see Howe emulate the express start that Kevin Keegan’s men made to the 1995/96 campaign by sitting top of the tree at the end of September.
