Eddie Howe makes no apologies for Newcastle’s no-nonsense approach to winning
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has hinted that he could hand 17-year-old midfielder Lewis Miley another start when his side take on Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday night. Miley made his home Premier League debut on Saturday as the Magpies thrashed Chelsea 4-1 at St James’ Park.
Howe is currently short of options due to an injury crisis at the club, with Callum Wilson, Dan Burn, Sven Botman, Harvey Barnes, Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff, Jacob Murphy, Elliot Anderson and Matt Targett all sidelined. Sandro Tonali is also currently unavailable due to a ban for breaching betting rules.
And ahead of the showdown at the Parc des Princes, Howe teased to reporters that Miley could start in the crunch Champions League fixture. “There’s every chance he’ll feature again”, the ex-Bournemouth boss said. “I think he’s ready. He was the exact same Lewis after the [Chelsea] game. It was just another game for him. He’s got a great temperament for these occasions.”
Newcastle are currently bottom of the Group F table after winning just one of their opening four Champions League matches. Their sole victory did come against PSG, however, as the north east giants thrashed the French club 4-1 at St James’ Park in October.
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But PSG will be a different proposition on home soil, where they have lost just one match all season. And defeat for Newcastle in France will end their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages.
Ahead of the clash, goalkeeper Nick Pope was asked for his opinion of Miley. And the shot-stopper replied: “Lewis Miley is going to be a top player. He has a great attitude and willingness to learn.”
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Miley was handed his Newcastle debut in the final Premier League clash of the last campaign as his team drew 1-1 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The England under-19s midfielder was given his first Premier League start in the 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth before the international break and has also featured against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup and against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
And after the player had teed up Alexander Isak’s opening goal against the Blues at the weekend, Howe said: “His general performance was very good. I thought he showed the composure that we saw during pre-season. I thought he executed a very good pre-season – played very well – and he’s going to be a key player for us in the next few weeks. He’s going to have to step up and do what we know he can do.”
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