Newcastle United latest news: Eddie Howe spoke highly of Lewis Miley’s performance v Benfica amid Sandro Tonali illness worries.
Eddie Howe had hinted at his pre-match press conference that the Italian may not feature against Benfica after revealing he had been suffering with illness. Tonali missed training with his teammates on Monday and, despite being named on the bench by Howe for the visit of Benfica, remained an unused substitute.
Jacob Ramsey and Bruno Guimaraes, both of whom were named in Howe’s starting XI, were substituted before the final whistle on Tuesday night, replaced by Joelinton and Joe Willock. Tonali, though, remained on the bench with the ultimate aim of having him available and fully fit for future matches.
With three games to play in eight days next week, nursing Tonali back to full fitness will be top priority for the Magpies, but if he isn’t able to feature in those matches, there shouldn’t be any worries about the capability of his possible replacement.
In Tonali’s absence on Tuesday, Lewis Miley was picked to start in the number six role with Guimaraes and Ramsey either side of him - and the 19-year-old left the field of play having put in one of his best performances in a number of seasons. Having burst onto the scene two years ago due to injury issues within Howe’s first-team, Miley impressed greatly during his first few months as a senior regular, but has struggled to gain form and momentum ever since. Repeating Tuesday night’s performance in the coming weeks will certainly help him become an unmovable part of Howe’s starting XI once again.
Eddie Howe on Lewis Miley
Miley certainly did his no chances of being included in Howe’s starting XI on Saturday no harm on Tuesday night, with Howe revealing to TNT Sports following the game just how impressed he had been with the midfielder’s performance: “He did really well,” Howe said post-match. “For me, Lewis has all the attributes to be whatever he wants to be in various roles - he can play holding like he did [v Benfica] or higher up the pitch.
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“His technical quality, his temperament, it was a massive game for the football club and he’s not really fazed by it, he just does his stuff. Very good.”
Training and playing alongside such stars as Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton is the perfect way for Miley to develop his skills on a daily basis as he strives to become a regular starter for his boyhood club. Howe, though, believes that the teenager’s ability means that Miley has no reason to feel inferior to his more established teammates.
“I think Lewis sees himself with them,” Howe added. “I don’t think he necessarily sees himself in that way [as inferior to his teammates].
“He’s open enough to want help and guidance on progression but I think, quite rightly, he sees himself on the same level as them and he’s competing for places.”
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