Micah Richards praises Newcastle star who ‘went missing’ for impressive Nottingham Forest display

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Newcastle United returned to winning ways with a dramatic 4-3 victory over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

An early goal for the visitors could have easily knocked Newcastle United’s confidence after the 4-0 thumping to Manchester City last week, but a four-goal blitz in 11 minutes turned the game on its head.

Eddie Howe was frustrated against Man City, but he got the response he was looking for from his Newcastle side in the first 45 minutes on Sunday. The final 45 minutes, however, was a cause for concern.

Newcastle were lucky to survive Forest’s late comeback and escape with all three points. Thankfully the first-half performance was strong enough to blow Newcastle’s Champions League rivals away.

There were several star performers with Lewis Hall Newcastle’s unsung hero, while Alexander Isak made history by becoming the Premier League’s top-scoring Swede.

But Micah Richards picked out another Newcastle star for praise…

Micah Richards piles praise on Lewis Miley

Newcastle’s scoring spree in the first half began with Lewis Miley scoring his third-ever senior goal with a well-taken finish inside the box.

Miley has the “world at his feet” according to Pat Nevin, but the 18-year-old had to remain patient before breaking back into Eddie Howe’s first-team plans.

It was just Miley’s 13th appearance of the season on Saturday after spending much of the campaign behind Sean Longstaff in Howe’s pecking order.

Speaking on the latest episode of The Rest is Football, Richards praised Miley for working his way back into the Newcastle side.

“I was really impressed with Miley. Not just because he scored, but he hasn’t played for a long time,” Richards said.

“He played last season, looked like he was gathering a little bit of momentum and then he sort of went missing.

“Obviously when you have got Joelinton, Bruno [Guimaraes] and [Sandro] Tonali it’s always difficult, even Longstaff has been ahead of him.

“But to see him play and play very well and get his goal [was great].”

Lewis Miley ready to become a regular starter for Newcastle

There is no denying that Miley is Newcastle’s brightest young talent, but unfortunately for him, central midfield is Newcastle’s strongest position.

Howe has struck a wonderful balance in midfield with the star-studded trio of Guimaraes, Joelinton and Tonali – with the latter dropping into a deeper role this season.

However, Miley has now made it clear he is ready to be a regular starter. If any of the above trio are injured, suspended or unavailable, he has to be the first-choice replacement.

READ MORE: Lewis Miley can’t believe he gets to play alongside ‘ridiculous’ Newcastle United player

With Joelinton currently out injured, it provides Miley with a brilliant opportunity to build up some momentum and form for the business end of the season.

Newcastle will need depth and quality in every position. Miley could save the club millions if he continues to develop into a top-class player.