Eddie Howe will not allow Lewis Miley to leave Newcastle United on loan in January, saying the England Under-21 international “is too important for us” to lose.
Miley, who had a breakthrough season in 2023-24, capitalising on Newcastle’s significant run of injuries to make 17 appearances in the Premier League, has not started a first-team match for his club in any competition this season.
The midfielder suffered a back injury in March while on international duty with England’s Under-20 squad and has since broken a metatarsal. He has made only one substitute appearance for Newcastle in the Carabao Cup this season and on Monday night played 45 minutes for their Under-21s against Chelsea.
Howe insisted at his pre-match press conference ahead of Newcastle’s League Cup quarter-final against Brentford, that Miley remains fundamental to his short and long-term plans.
“Lewis is an outstanding young player,” the Newcastle head coach said. “He’s had a really difficult time with injuries so we’ve had to nurse him back and I felt the right path was for him to play games. So he played last night — albeit a short period because he’ll be involved with us on Wednesday — to get his rhythm back because I think that’s a really underrated thing.
“A lot of the time, players rush that final part. So I think when Lewis now plays in the first-team he will be at a really good level because of the games that he’s had. But also there’s a fierce competition for places in that area. Look at the starting three that we had on Saturday (against Leicester City in the Premier League), outstanding players in their own right (Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton), and then you’ve got Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff, two vastly experienced players behind those, and then Lewis.
“Lewis is going to be an outstanding player for this club for many, many years, but we need to handle his recovery back into the team well, which I think we have, and I’d say now he’s getting himself in a position where he’s ready to play.”
Asked if Miley would be made available for a loan in January in a bid to give him regular football, Howe said: “No, Lewis will stay with us because he’s too important to lose.”
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Centre-back Sven Botman also featured in the 3-2 defeat of Chelsea, playing for an hour on his comeback after nine months out with an ACL injury. All things being equal, the Netherlands Under-21 international will be pushing for a first-time place by the end of this month.
“He was good last night,” Howe said. “We exchanged messages after the game and he seemed in a really good place. I think that’s always a big step when you play the first game.
“He looked good on the pitch. I thought his movement was good. Typical Sven, he used the ball well, he looked commanding, he’s a big presence on, pitch.
“He’s a massive player for us, we’ve missed him, so that’s a big step forward, but he’s still got a little bit to go before he’s available for selection. I think we were looking right to the end of December, beginning of January. That was the plan and we’re still on track with the plan. I think with the length of time that he’s been out. Ieally he gets two to three, maybe even more games to get his rhythm back because obviously a big step back into the Premier League.”
(George Wood/Getty Images)
