It’s been a year of ups and downs for Newcastle United, but it’s mostly been very positive. So, we feel like celebrating the players who have improved the most in 2025.
Between the Carabao Cup win, competing in the Champions League, and finishing in the top five, Newcastle United have had a pretty good year.
Eddie Howe on Lewis Miley. Does he need to play more often now?
“When you see him play, he plays with a real maturity. He very rarely gets flustered about anything, he’s very level and very calm.
“Not your normal average teenager.”
Eddie Howe is doing a great job with the Magpies, and if he can achieve his goals this season, he will surely go down as one of the great Newcastle United managers (not that he isn’t already).
He’s been helped by top players on the pitch. Some, like Bruno Guimaraes, we expect nothing less than perfection from. However, others have really stepped up their game in 2025, like these three players we think have improved massively over this year.
- READ MORE: Newcastle United are worryingly quiet on the transfer front, but it might be for the best
Who has improved the most at Newcastle United this year?
Lewis Miley
He’s one of the brightest Newcastle academy stars to emerge in the past few years, and Lewis Miley has really become a proper fixture in the Magpies’ first-team in 2025.
Most recently, Miley put in a really mature performance against Everton, scoring one and assisting one in the 4-1 win. He’s also shown his versatility by turning out at right-back as well as in his favoured midfield role.
In many ways, Miley is like a new signing for Newcastle. He adds so much depth and quality to the midfield, and is no longer just a promising youngster, he’s a bona fide star who deserves to be in the starting XI more and more.
Dan Burn
He may be 33-years-old, but that doesn’t mean you can’t teach an old dog new tricks sometimes. In fact, Dan Burn has probably had the best year of his life in 2025.
Burn scored at Wembley to help seal Newcastle the Carabao Cup, he’s made great progress with England, and he netted one of the most impressive headers you’re ever likely to see in the Champions League.
Like Miley, Burn has played out of position at left-back and done a great job, too. He’s become a real leader, has given everything to the team, and has a good chance of going to the World Cup next year; something he probably wouldn’t have dreamed of just a year ago.
Reminder: Paul Mitchell once thought that Newcastle United overspent on Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall.
Lewis Hall
Okay, we always knew Lewis Hall was quality, but the way he’s developed this year has been incredible. He’s now easily one of the best full-backs in the Premier League and he’s one of the first names on Eddie Howe’s team sheet at Newcastle.
The £28m Newcastle paid for Hall is a bargain, really. Week in, week out, he’s operating at the highest level defensively, while also carrying the ball forward with so much composure and intent and helping the Magpies’ attack.
It’s hard to believe Hall is still only 21-years-old. It’s scary to think just how much he could keep improving in the future. And it’s very, very exciting to think that he will be doing that with Newcastle United.
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