Newcastle United confident of Academy move that will save millions as Mason Miley catches eye

Eddie Howe has been making frequent visits to the club’s Academy and insists the club are in good hands despite a trickle of talent coming up from Little Benton

Mason Miley of Newcastle United(Image: )

Eddie Howe is confident that there is ‘more to come’ from Newcastle United’s Academy with Lewis Miley the current success story from the club’s youth system.

The Magpies were forced to put a host of first-team stars “at risk” in Howe’s own words in the FA Cup tie against AFC Bournemouth with the gruelling third round encounter taking it out of his team for the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Man City, a game that ended in a costly 2-0 defeat.

Howe has named youngsters such as Sean Neave, Leo Shahar, Alex Murphy and Sam Alabi in recent senior squads but none have been used to ease the burden. Teenager Park Seung-soo was signed in the summer but has not made a senior appearance at competitive level after appearing on the bench against Aston Villa before being fielded in the reserves all term.

When asked about the Academy system’s ability to supplement the squad during the hectic winter fixture list, with some of the big guns dipping into the Under-21 squads successfully, Howe feels that the hard work behind the scenes is there for all to see.

Howe told Chronicle Live: “The work goes on every day, and I see that at first hand. I try to be quite active in terms of building relationships with the people at the Academy.

“I know Steve Harper is leading that team really, really well. I think we are lucky we have passionate people who care about player development. They care about all the young players and give them the best opportunities to express themselves in the right way. “

Newcastle sold Cathal Heffernan to Harrogate Town this week while Ben Parkinson went to Falkirk last weekend. Joe White departed on loan again, this time to Bradford City where he was joined by Harrison Ashby. On a brighter note, Miley’s kid brother Mason made his second string debut in the 1-1 draw at Sunderland on Friday.

Howe said the aim was always to bring stars through the system but warned: “We’d all love a few more Lewis Mileys, but if it were that easy, every club in the country would be doing it.

“It is very hard to bring a player through at the level we are playing at. Not everyone will have that opportunity to do so. But it is trying to give as many we can the right opportunities and the right care and right coaching to play their careers at the highest level possible.

“I know the work goes on and the guys really, really care about what they are doing. Fingers crossed in the future there will be more. I am very confident there will.”

Mason Miley is the latest from the talented footballing family hoping to make his way in the game. Having seen older brothers Jamie – now at Hartlepool United – and Lewis forging a career in the game, the 17-year-old is quietly starting to make progress himself through the Academy.

Speaking after his reserve team debut, Miley told NUFC TV: “It’s always been coming and I just had to take my chance when I got it. I thought I attacked it well and put in a good performance.

“From the start of the season, I think I’ve progressed quite a lot from playing week-in, week-out for the Under-18s. I want to prove my quality with the chances I’m getting for the Under-21s.

“I want to keep pushing on after my first start and try to get more appearances for the Under-21s this season. It’s a step up but I haven’t had many games since coming back after Christmas. Getting these games under my belt is really good and, hopefully in the upcoming games, I can then last the full match.”

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