'Too important': Eddie Howe outright dismisses any idea of a January exit for 'outstanding' midfielder

As far as Newcastle United's squad goes, we are all aware that it can, at times look paper thin, but when it comes to midfielders, the Magpies could be the envy of the Premier League.

Eddie Howe has always played with a three-man midfield, but that trio has never really been a set thing as Newcastle have a wealth of talent at their disposal for those positions, each of which brings something different to the table.

Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton are the three most high-profile choices and there's a feeling that if the three of them find a way to gel together, we could have one of, if not the best midfields in England.

Beyond that, we have Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff and the emerging talent of Lewis Miley who was heavily used last season during the horrendous injury crisis.

Lewis Miley caught the eye of many a football fan last season

Lewis Miley acquitted himself well in the role although Eddie Howe would go on to admit that in an ideal world, he'd have been able to use the youngster more sparingly.

The fact that Miley ended the season with a back injury and then picked up a foot injury in the summer only added weight to the fact that his young, still-growing body, could have done with more time to rest between games.

Miley has only made one appearance so far this season as a late substitute back in October, but despite that, Eddie Howe has shut the door on the idea of letting the 18-year-old go out on loan in January.

Eddie Howe will not entertain the idea of losing Lewis Miley even on loan

Speaking to the media this morning, Eddie Howe outright shot down the suggestion of Miley leaving.

“No (he won’t be leaving in January), Lewis will stay. He’s too important to us.

“Lewis is an outstanding young player. He’s had a difficult time with injuries so we’ve had to nurse him back and I thought the right path was for him to play games. He played last night [against Chelsea] albeit for a short period as he will be involved with us tomorrow. Getting his rhythm back is a really underrated thing.

“Players can rush that final part so when Lewis now plays in the first-team he will be at a really good level because of that. There’s fierce competition in that area, when you look at the starting three we had in there on Saturday, outstanding players in their own right, then you’ve got Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff, two vastly experienced players behind those.

“Lewis is going to be an outstanding player for this club for many, many years but we need to help his recovery back into the first-team well and he’s now getting himself back into a position where he’s able to play.”