Newcastle manager Eddie Howe says he has “never seen” a 17-year-old play at such a high level following Lewis Miley’s recent performances.

The midfielder started in consecutive matches against Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United, with the Magpies picking up two wins and 1 draw and, asked about Miley’s displays in those fixtures, Howe said:

“It’s not bad, is it? I’ve never seen a 17-year-old do that. But nothing totally surprises me from what we saw pre-season. That’s really tough, physical time, but it’s how you handle it mentally, can you go day after day? He did really well.”

Miley also started the 3-0 defeat to Everton last time out, although (like his teammates), he found things rather tough going at Goodison Park.

After playing so many intense matches in such a short space of time, it is not a surprise that his levels dropped slightly. However, he was still one of the team’s better performers.

Newcastle are having to rely on Miley due to injuries

While Howe is clearly a huge admirer of the teenager, even he wouldn’t have anticipated him playing so many games at this point in his career.

The Magpies boss has been forced into selecting Miley due to the lack of other options in the first-team squad. There are currently 12 players on the treatment table, including midfielders Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff and Elliot Anderson.

Reinforcing the midfield is a top priority for January

The suspension of Sandro Tonali, in addition to the injuries already mentioned, means that Howe will be keen on adding numbers in the middle of the park.

There have already been rumours that Newcastle could recruit former Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves on loan from Al Hilal, while there have also been links to Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips and Valencia’s Javi Guerra.

You can watch the documentary – Newcastle United: The Road Back To Europe on Shots! TV here