Newcastle United wonderkid must be given the perfect stage to prove Eddie Howe right
Newcastle United are fully aware that Lewis Miley is a special footballer.
This is a young man who was training with the Newcastle United first-team at 16-years-old, and someone who looked at home in the Champions League at 17-years-old.
Lewis Miley is the real deal, as Toon fans have been reminded in recent weeks. He was excellent off the bench against Manchester City, while he was even better during the win over Nottingham Forest.
Miley was praised for his performance, as he netted his second ever Premier League goal.
Lewis Miley compared to Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard
Eddie Howe absolutely loves Miley. He has given the midfielder plenty of opportunities despite his age, and always talks positively about his contribution and his potential.
The Newcastle United manager did that again on Tuesday, as he spoke to the media ahead of the Magpies’ game against Liverpool at Anfield.
“He [Miley] can be anything that he wants to be,” Eddie Howe said.
“He could really take a position, solidify a position and be outstanding for us for a number of years.
“I think that [what type of player he becomes] ultimately depends what position he ends up playing.
“For us on Sunday, he played as a number eight, box-to-box. We want energy, sprinting, we want a lot of physical output in that position. As a number six, he would play with a little bit more control on that physical side of his game.
“Steven Gerrard, I think, is a great one to look at, because I think Steven had that same frame Lewis possesses. He had that yard of pace, he could go box-to-box and he could score goals.
“It’s great to see Lewie contribute goal-wise. That’s two goals in a short period of time and showing that he can do that part of the game, which he’s going to need to do in that position.”
Eddie Howe must start Lewis Miley against Liverpool
It is interesting that Howe has compared Miley to Steven Gerrard at a time when Newcastle United are set to play against his former club Liverpool.
Gerrard is a Liverpool legend, and is widely considered to be one of the best midfielders that the Premier League has ever seen.
Miley has a long way to go to reach that level, but the potential is there. For now, Miley’s main focus will be playing regularly and developing his game.
With that in mind, the Toon wonderkid will hope that Howe gives him another chance to live up to the Gerrard comparisons on Wednesday night. After all, where better to show you are similar to Gerrard than Anfield?
It is the perfect stage for Miley to live up to Howe’s hype, but his position in the starting XI is uncertain. Sandro Tonali is fully fit again, and it feels all but guaranteed that he will be back in the starting lineup.
That will be bad news for either Miley or Joe Willock, and it remains to be seen who Howe will go for. Miley is more in form, while Willock offers more experience and athleticism.
