Newcastle United have undergone a revolution in their ambitions and standards. From being promoted back to the Premier League in 2017-18 to qualifying for the Champions League in 2022-23, the club is headed on a monumental path to create a new legacy. An important part of that path ahead is poised to be 17-year-old academy prodigy, Lewis Miley.
Lewis Miley – The Journey So Far:
The Englishman joined the Magpies’ academy at the age of 7 where he continued to develop and progress under the guidance of a then mid-table United’s coaching staff. Following the overhaul of the club by a consortium led by the Saudi Public Investment Fund in 2021, Miley got a chance to feature at the club’s youth level.
Miley was given plenty of minutes in the U-18 Premier League and the FA Youth Cup in the 2021-22 season. He went on to register 2 goals and 2 assists in a total of 26 appearances. The box-to-box midfielder particularly stood out due to his physicality and composure to control the flow of the game.
The following 2022-23 campaign turned out to be a breakthrough season for the 2006-born prodigy. After being featured regularly in Premier League 2 and U-18 Premier League competitions where he managed to score 4 times and attain 6 assists in just 14 appearances, Miley was handed his first-ever Premier League debut by Eddie Howe on 28th May 2023 against Chelsea for the club’s last game of the season.
The midfielder came on as a substitute in the 76th minute as the Magpies held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw. Miley almost had a dream start in the Premier League as his late powerful shot struck the crossbar in a spectacular effort which showed the fans and the coaching staff the promising potential carried by the teenager. This league debut for Miley made him Newcastle United’s youngest player to ever get Premier League.
🗣️ “I’ve dreamt of that since I was a little boy”
Lewis Miley was buzzing to make his Premier League debut for Newcastle on the final day of the season 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ySHDHrRHOq
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 29, 2023
International Call-up & Professional Contract:
During the 2022-23 season, England’s under-17 side was preparing for the UEFA European Under-17 Championship Qualifiers and Miley emerged as a candidate for the squad. He made his international debut in March 2023 in a 3-1 victory over Denmark and went on to attain 10 caps for his country.
Following his breakthrough campaign and astonishing goal contributions, Newcastle awarded Miley with his maiden professional contract on his 17th birthday in May, 2023. The youngster followed the path taken by his older brother and teammate Jamie Miley who signed his first professional contract in 2021-22.
Miley commented on turning pro by saying: “It’s a really good feeling to sign my first professional contract, especially with my boyhood club. It’s something that I’ve dreamt of since I was a kid. I’ve been at the Academy for a long time so to get to this point now is great and hopefully I can keep pushing on further in the future.
Furthermore Academy Director Steve Harper said: “Everyone at the Academy is delighted to see Lewis sign his first professional contract at the club. His hard work, attitude to learning, and training as well as his technical ability has got him to this point. The contract is a fitting reward for his progress.”
The 2023-24 Pre-season & What’s Ahead:
The 17-year-old has played an instrumental role in the club’s pre-season efforts. United’s first friendly was against fifth-tier English side Gateshead FC where Miley came off the bench to set up the winning goal in a 3-2 victory for the Magpies. He again came on as a substitute against Scottish giants Rangers where he shined in his central midfield role with a mature and composed display.
As Newcastle travelled to The US to take part in the Premier League Summer Series, Miley featured in all of the club’s 3 fixtures against Aston Villa, Chelsea and Brighton. His most note-worthy game being against Chelsea where the teenager started in the midfield alongside the club’s record-signing Sandro Tonali and Joelinton.
Despite starting with the two prominent players, Miley turned out to dazzle as a highly composed and graceful figure as went on to play the entire 90 minutes against Mauricio Pochettino’s side. Following the fixture against the Blues, his manager Eddie Howe expressed his recognition for the English teenager.
Howe commented: “I don’t think he’s surprised me because I’ve seen it for six months, including at the back end of last season, just how well he was developing and how strong he looked in the group. Physically is always the biggest test for someone so young but you’ve seen him today — he’s a very, very good athlete, he’s strong and a good size and he looks like he can handle the environment he’s in. That was a very mature performance tonight against high-class opposition and will do him the world of good. He’s shown he can play in front of a crowd, which is not always a given. I’m delighted for him.”
When reporters asked the Magpies manager about the future plans of integrating Miley in the Newcastle squad and a potential loan move, Howe quickly refuted rumors involving the 17-year-old playing elsewhere. He confirmed: “He will stay with us this season. There’s no thought of sending him on loan. For me he’s too young to be exposed to that at the moment. I think he needs to stay with his family and to train with us and to learn and develop around the players we have.”
Eddie Howe has confirmed that Lewis Miley will stay around the #NUFC first-team squad this season and will NOT be sent out on loan now.
Easy decision, what huge potential! Age is irrelevant.#NUFCFans #Newcastle pic.twitter.com/l9A7bH1zD4
— Magpie 24/7 (@Magpie24_7) July 27, 2023
Newcastle fans should be looking forward to see the young academy graduate get plenty of first-team action in the upcoming season. As the team has 4 competitions to play in, Lewis Miley will certainly get his chance to make a mark and cement himself as a beacon of an exciting future for the club.
