Lewis Miley enjoyed a breakout season last time out, which included a first-team run that saw him become United’s youngest-ever Premier League goal scorer and the youngest player in Champions League history to grab an assist for an English side.
When he started his first Champions League match, the 1-1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain, he became the third youngest Englishman to start in that competition ever, after Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden.
Eddie Howe praised the youngster effusively calling Miley ‘a brilliant brain, who has come in and straight away looked part of the group’ and Bruno simply said he wished he could do what Miley did at 17-years-old.
But, fast forward 12 months, the young Geordie has found himself back with the U21’s following his extended injury absence with a broken foot and a back injury.
Eddie Howe has stated publicly that he will gradually draft the now 18-year-old back into his plans and ruled out a January loan move, but Miley has been left out of the last five senior squads since he returned to the bench against Nottingham Forest on the 10th November.
Miley simply needs first team gametime soon to keep up with his development, but I do concede that with the two big injuries the lad has had in 2024, and with him only being 18 – Howe’s easing him back with U21 football makes sense, although I don’t think it’s a situation that can be allowed to drift, or go on towards the end of the season.
United’s pool of midfielders is strong again, now that everyone is fit, and Miley was never going to walk back in ahead of Sandro Tonali or Bruno Guimaraes. But there is surely an argument that he should be in and around the squad now, whether it’s at the expensive of or alongside someone like Longstaff.
With nine substitutions available per league match, it seems curious that the lad hasn’t found his way back into the first team setup yet.
There is certainly an argument to be made that it’s time to sell Longstaff and give Miley his role in the first team squad.
Not doing so and blocking Miley’s route to gametime would have to be considered poor squad management, as the youngster clearly has a higher ceiling ability wise than Longstaff.
In turn, if the club were to sell Longstaff, a sale would be considered ‘pure profit’ and could also equal money to spend as you could see someone paying £15-20 million for a player of Longstaff’s ability.
Longstaff is not enjoying a good season so far. With zero goals and assists in 17 Premier League games and too many games that have passed him by, his place in the squad is coming under increasing scrutiny.
Perhaps the pair will start together in the FA Cup game against Bromley at St James’ Park in the new year, but if Miley is absent from that squad there will be some serious questions to be asked of management. You simply cannot keep a potential generational talent like Lewis Miley out of the first team picture for such an extended period when he is better than some of those who get in ahead of him.
After a 45-minute appearance for the U21s in Monday’s 3-2 win over Chelsea, hopefully he features in Wednesday’s cup quarter-final and finds himself back in Howe’s first-team plans soon.