Eddie Howe now believes 17-year-old Newcastle player is going to feature a lot more

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Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe is open to the possibility of turning towards youth during the club’s ongoing injury crisis.

Eddie Howe is missing some key players at the moment, some of which are out long-term. It looks like Dan Burn and Jacob Murphy will not play again until 2024, while it is unclear when Sven Botman will be fit to return.

Elsewhere, Newcastle have the issue of Sandro Tonali’s suspension. His ban for betting means he will not play for the club again until August 2024.

With so many problems, Howe’s squad is stretched. That could lead to some youngsters getting more minutes, which is exactly what happened against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night.

Lewis Miley came on for the final 10 minutes, replacing Joe Willock in midfield to become the club’s youngest ever player in the Champions League.

It was a remarkable moment for the 17-year-old, who has an incredibly bright future ahead of him.

Now Howe has admitted that we could soon see a lot more of him in the coming weeks and months given Newcastle’s issues.

Eddie Howe really pleased after Lewis Miley’s Newcastle return

Ahead of Newcastle’s game against Bournemouth, Howe spoke to the media. He was asked about Miley possibly playing more in the very near future.

“Lewis is certainly going to have a prominent role in our future generally,” he said.

“I think you could see at Dortmund, the way he came into the game, for someone so young, was hugely impressive. At that moment we were trying to chase the game intelligently, I thought he did that really well. He used the ball well and physically he looked really good after his illness. I was really pleased with him.”

Big opportunity for Newcastle teenager

The biggest compliment you can pay Miley for his performance against Borussia Dortmund is that he didn’t look like a 17-year-old.

The teenager wanted to get on the ball and try to make something happen, showing real confidence and composure on such a grand stage.

Howe was really pleased with him, and that should lead to more minutes in the near future – particularly in the Premier League.

Miley has only got one Premier League appearance so far in his career, but looks set to add to that tally in the coming weeks – possibly as early as Saturday against Bournemouth.

With Bruno Guimaraes missing due to suspension, there is a chance that Howe could hand Miley his first ever Premier League start. It would be a brave decision given Miley’s lack of experience, but he certainly has the talent.

It might be considered a risk, but it would be great to see him given the opportunity to start at the Vitality Stadium.