Replacing a player as good as Tino Livramento cannot be easy but Lewis Miley is certainly up for the challenge at Newcastle United.
Livramento has a transformative impact on Newcastle United and is widely regarded as one of the best full-backs in the Premier League.
While Kieran Trippier theoretically offers some elite-level back-up, the veteran defender is currently out injured himself.
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Emil Krafth would be another option too but a knee injury has ruled him out of the last few games, forcing Miley to step up.
Miley starred at right-back for Newcastle against Fulham in the Carabao Cup, having previously operated in that position for a brief period against Marseille in the Champions League. It was a sudden change, though one that has so far worked out.
Though he’s generally a central midfielder, Eddie Howe has talked up Miley’s ability as a right-back.
Now, the Newcastle United academy graduate has been speaking about his positional switch.
Lewis Miley growing in confidence about playing at right-back
The 19-year-old was speaking to The Chronicle after the win over the Cottagers.
It was Miley who scored the winning goal, bagging a dramatic late header to send Howe’s side into the semi-finals.
Obviously, the goal will take many of the headlines, but Miley’s general performance in a new role was good.
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With Livramento currently injured and neither Trippier nor Krafth expected back until the New Year, it’s an experiment that looks set to continue over the next few weeks at least.
“The gaffer just told me to go and enjoy it,” he said.
“It’s a different position to learn different things and I coped with that quite well. It can only be good for me really to learn different positions.”
Eddie Howe’s expert opinion on why Lewis Miley can thrive as a right-back
Newcastle rate Miley very highly, presumably because of what he’s able to do in central midfield.
That would certainly appear to be where his future lies but having another department in which he can develop can only be a good thing.
Howe is of the opinion that Miley has the technical qualities to perform such a role for the team.
“I have always had my eye on Lewis potentially being able to play that role,” he said. “He can play the role easily from a technical viewpoint and from an attacking viewpoint. He is a very good crosser of the ball.
“It was the defending aspect, always, when you are playing a new position, but he actually dealt with that really well and his positioning was excellent.
The Newcastle United manager believes that the teenager can easily do the job from an attacking aspect, such is his crossing ability.
Howe admits that Miley’s defending needed proving before he was tried in the role but he has certainly done that in his limited time there thus far.
In a perfect role, Newcastle wouldn’t be in this position. Still, at least Miley is making the best of it.
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