The Teen Midfield Maestro Who's Silencing Newcastle's Multi-Million Pound Stars

Newcastle United's Premier League campaign hasn't exactly got off to the most fruitful of starts.

After a testing summer which saw a late transfer market frenzy to reinvest the cash made from the sale of wantaway talisman Alexander Isak, the new season was somewhat of an unknown quantity for the Magpies.

And 14 games in, that is still largely the case. Which version of Eddie Howe's side you are going to get in any given game is about as unpredictable as the lottery numbers.

Take the last two weeks, for example. A massive performance in a 2-1 victory over Manchester City at St James' Park, followed by a 2-1 defeat away to Marseille in the Champions League as Newcastle crumbled disappointingly in the second half.

Those two results were followed in the week after with a 4-1 win at Everton, which marked their first away win of the season in any capacity, and then a 2-2 draw at the hands of a late equaliser against Spurs at home in a game that really should have been won long before.

But in the madness of Newcastle's recent rollercoaster of form, there has been an unlikely calm which has caught the attention of fans and media alike.

His name is Lewis Miley, and over the past couple of games he has begun staking his claim for a starting spot, keeping some big names out of the side.

Bruno G. And Sandro Who?

When the teamsheet reached the public eye ahead of the Everton game this past weekend, many were intrigued and shocked by the omission of Sandro Tonali, who dropped to the bench.

Taking his place was youngster Lewis Miley. The highly rated 19-year-old struggled to pick up any sort of consistent minutes last season after a string of niggling injuries left him on the sidelines, leaving many to wonder how long it would be before we saw him back on the pitch in a big way.

His breakthrough season in 23/24 showed everyone just what he was capable of, with some excellent performances in both the Premier League and Champions League leaving the Geordie faithful clamouring to see more of their star boy.

So, despite there being some concern around the absence of their marquee Italian, those fears were accompanied by an air of intrigue around just what we would see from Miley.

And, as if by magic, that intrigue was quickly replaced with unadulterated satisfaction as the prodigy put in what would have been a man-of-the-match performance if it wasn't for the unexpected goalscoring brilliance of centre back Malick Thiaw.

Miley himself contributed a goal and an assist, providing a structure and balance alongside his attacking output that Newcastle had rarely experienced in this campaign.

But the consensus remained to not get too carried away; after all, it was only one game.

Given the chaotic nature of the footballing schedule across the festive period, it wouldn't be long before Newcastle's next game against Spurs.

And despite Cristian Romero's heroics, one thing you may have missed is that Lewis Miley once again earned himself a start, this time at the expense of captain and cult hero Bruno Guimaraes.

And, in a similar, albeit slightly less outstanding, manner to the Everton performance, Miley once again put in a performance worthy of praise.

In fact, there is a very valid argument to say the reason Newcastle threw away the victory was Eddie Howe's decision to take Miley off in favour of another centre half in Fabian Schar – but that's a conversation for another day.

Lewis Miley, He's One Of Our Own

It has been a long time since Newcastle's academy produced a top talent.

The closest they have come in recent years is Sean Longstaff, who currently plays for Leeds United after leaving his boyhood club in the summer.

But something feels a little different about Lewis Miley.

Now I'm not going to sit here and tell you he's the most flashy or flairy of players, like those you see taking the media attention – but Miley is the sort of player we currently have a lack of in world football.

Out-and-out holding midfielders who can dictate the tempo of the game and allow those in front to be at their creative best are sought after but rare.

Now Miley does have the ability to slot into those positions further forward, as shown in the Spurs game with the midfield rotation between himself, Tonali and Joelinton – but most would agree he is best utilised in that, shall we call it, Rodri role (no, I'm not saying he's as good, don't worry).

But even with the ability that he quite clearly has, that isn't even the most important part for Newcastle.

In the past couple of years, a lack of squad depth has been the bane of poor Eddie Howe's life.

And especially this season, with Champions League football once again pencilled into the calendar, the need for rotation is rife.

Having another option to rest those all-important midfielders like Sandro Tonali and Guimaraes will be crucial for the Magpies with such a tough schedule ahead.

And if the last couple of weeks are anything to go by, Lewis Miley will be providing that and more for years to come.