Newcastle United wonderkid is missing a major quality from his game, Eddie Howe must fix it

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Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe is the master at making players better.

It has been the foundation of his success at St James’ Park, with plenty of the players he inherited hitting unimaginable heights.

He took Joelinton from failing striker to being one third of the Premier League’s best midfield. That speaks volumes about the Newcastle United manager’s ability.

Howe’s coaching talent is a key factor as to why young players want to be at St James’ Park. Jacob Ramsey and Nick Woltemade both cited the manager as a reason why they moved to the North East this summer.

Now we need to see Howe work his magic with Lewis Miley, the Toon wonderkid who has the world at his feet.

• READ MORE: Who is Lewis Miley? Age, Height, Position, Salary, School, Brothers

Newcastle United need Lewis Miley to be more positive

Miley made his 50th Newcastle United appearance on Sunday, starting in midfield against Bournemouth.

He played the full 90 minutes alongside Sandro Tonali, with Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton left on the bench.

The 19-year-old can be happy with his performance. He looked comfortable at the Vitality Stadium, up against a hugely physical Bournemouth side on what was his first start of the season.

Miley broke up play and kept the ball well, but his outing against Bournemouth also highlighted something that is missing from his game.

At times, the teenager was too cautious in possession. Miley lacked desire or ambition to play the ball forwards, often going for the safe option instead.

In total, Miley completed 43 of the 50 passes he attempted. That is impressive, but only two of them were classed as ‘progressive passes’.

If Miley is to establish himself as a true Premier League star, he needs to take more responsibility in possession. That means driving his team forward rather than just playing it safe.

Eddie Howe must unlock that from Miley. There is no doubting the youngster’s technical ability, but there is so much more he can offer in black and white.

It will come in time. After all, he is still only 19-years-old.

Eddie Howe showed his faith in Lewis Miley against Bournemouth

The fact that Howe trusted Miley to start against Bournemouth speaks volumes about how he feels about the Newcastle United academy product.

Two Brazil internationals sat on the bench, while Joe Willock played out wide to allow Miley to start centrally. Not only did he start, he played the entire game.

Miley is not a kid anymore. While he is still a player with immense potential, he is very much a fully blown member of the Newcastle United first-team squad. Playing him is not about giving a young player minutes to impress, it is about rotating.

Howe has complete faith in Miley, and Miley should have complete faith in Howe when it comes to making him a better player and establishing himself as a regular starter at St James’ Park.