Eddie Howe has named his Newcastle United starting XI to face Crystal Palace.
The 19-year-old hasn’t featured since the 1-1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on January 28 after suffering muscle damage.
Miley is one of six changes from the 2-1 Tyne-Wear derby defeat to Sunderland before the international break, with Eddie Howe making some bold calls.
Lewis Miley returns to Newcastle United starting XI
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Howe said: “He’s been missed massively. Sometimes with players, you know how important they are and with Lewy, we knew all his attributes and how good he is, but he’s added some new strings to his bow in recent games with the versatility.
“Suddenly, when we’ve lost that, you don’t just lose one player, you lose almost three or four in one player.
“His composure on the ball, his decision-making, his height, his athleticism, we’ve missed all of those aspects in his performance.
“Yes, he’s only 19 and he’s still getting better and improving al the time, but we’ve got an unbelievable player on our hands and we’ll be delighted to get him back on the pitch.
“Hopefully, of course, the injuries will be a thing of the pas for him. We want him to try to stay fit and to build the momentum that every player needs to be at their very best level.
“I see no reason why physically he can’t deliver that. He’s got really nice running style, he’s really professional. He looks after himself in between games probably as well as anyone else in the squad, so I see no issue with him physically.
“Yes, he’s had a couple… the last injury he had was really unlucky and it took a bit longer than we expected, but hopefully that’s a thing of the past for him."
Six changes to Newcastle United’s starting XI
Miley comes in for Nick Woltemade and starts in midfield alongside Joelinton and Sandro Tonali, who replaces Jacob Murphy after missing the derby through injury.
There are two changes in defence as Tino Livramento and Malick Thiaw come in for Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn, while in attack, Will Osula starts as the central striker and Jacob Murphy is deployed on the right as Anthony Elanga and Harvey Barnes make way.
Newcastle United XI: Aaron Ramsdale, Tino Livramento, Malick Thiaw, Sven Botman, Lewis Hall, Lewis Miley, Sandro Tonali, Joelinton, Jacob Murphy, Anthony Gordon, Will Osula.
Substitutes: Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier, Yoane Wissa, Harvey Barnes, Anthony Elanga, Nick Woltemade, Joe Willock, Dan Burn, Jacob Ramsey.
Continue Reading