Miley on course to become Newcastle’s answer to De Bruyne

Robin Bairner

• 13 Jan 2024 05:56 CST
• 9 min read

Newcastle are well aware that they have a special talent in their midst in the form of Lewis Miley.

The 17-year-old has been thrust into Eddie Howe’s plans off the back of an injury crisis, and in a side struggling with fatigue and lack of form, the teenager has shone.

When the Magpies tackle Manchester City at St James’ Park on Saturday, Miley will get another opportunity to mix it with the best and could have his first career meeting with Kevin De Bruyne, a player he is capable of emulating in his career.

While it is inevitably difficult to predict the twists and turns of an individual career, Miley is a player who, according to data analytics experts SciSports, is capable of becoming Newcastle’s De Bruyne.

In terms of his style, there are clear similarities, while the young Englishman has the springboard of early first-team exposure to aid his development.

Miley's rapid rise

His game has developed rapidly since debuting for Newcastle against Man City in the EFL Cup and SciSports’ model shows that by the time Miley reaches 25, there is a chance of him being of an equal or even better standard than De Bruyne, who is widely recognised as one of the greatest creative midfielders of the Premier League era.

Already the youngster rates among the top half of Premier League midfielders this season, which is a stellar achievement given his lack of experience.

Of course, his development is dependent on many things, not least the role that Miley ultimately ends up playing in Newcastle’s midfield.

He also has shades of Liverpool pair Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch in his game, while SciSports also compare him favourably to Douglas Luiz, the Aston Villa midfielder targeted by Arsenal. There are, therefore, many exciting directions his career could take.

What appears certain, though, is that Miley will be a building block that Howe can work around for years to come.

With the future of Bruno Guimaraes looking increasingly uncertain, the teen, whose current deal expires in 2026, can replicate the importance of De Bruyne at City with Newcastle.