Lewis Miley has been missing from Newcastle United’s match day squads since the end of January, thanks to a muscle injury.
The 19-year-old picked up what was described as a ‘dead leg’ in the Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain at the end of January and hasn’t been seen since.
There have been a few times Lewis Miley looked to have a return date set. Even the player himself said he was targeting the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 tie against Barcelona. Miley missed that game and the subsequent game against Sunderland a few days later.
That must have been particularly galling for him to miss out on those two games, having to watch from the sidelines as the team he loves crumbled like a sleeve of digestive biscuits in a tumble dryer.
Eddie Howe has spoken about how he’s been told to be very careful with Miley’s injury to avoid any lasting damage, with medics wary of rushing a teenager back too soon in fear of ending his season early.
But when will he be back? This has been the question for weeks, if not months, now. And Craig Hope has is now reporting that the Geordie midfielder FINALLY looks set to return for our trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday 12th April.
In his Newcastle Confidential column, Hope revealed that Miley is back in full training, offering the clearest sign yet that a return to action is imminent.
The three-week international break will allow Miley plenty of time on the training pitch to get back up to full tilt, then it’ll just be a case of him building up match sharpness.
To say Newcastle have missed Miley would be an understatement. He may only be 19, but he’s such an important figure for the Magpies.
Eddie Howe has taken advantage of Miley’s versatility this season, deploying the midfielder as a right-back and even a central defender when needed.
Miley has just done whatever has been asked of him with no complaints and performed as if he’s played in those positions for years. It’s going to be such a boost to have him back in the team for the run-in.
The news around Miley’s contract talks appears to be true, too, which is exactly the player positivity we need right now.