Newcastle United's Lewis Miley is being tipped for a big future as the midfielder prepares to face former teammate Sandro Tonali for the first time since his move to Tottenham Hotspur, when the two sides meet at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.
The fixture arrives after a busy summer of transfer activity involving both clubs. Newcastle lost Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes to Spurs and Arsenal respectively, prompting the Magpies to bring in three new midfielders to fill the void. Yet it is a player already at the club who has caught the eye of new head coach Matthias Jaissle.
Miley signed a new long-term contract on 25 May, the same day Spurs boss Roberto de Zerbi made contact with Tonali about a move. Despite limited pre-season minutes following a recovery from a broken leg, Jaissle handed the 20-year-old a start in Newcastle's opening-day draw with Liverpool, underlining the faith the coaching staff have in him.
Newcastle have since strengthened their midfield further with the £52m signing of Nico Gonzalez from Manchester City, though the expectation is that the Spaniard will work alongside Miley rather than push him out of the side. With Tonali and Guimaraes gone, Miley now has an opportunity to establish himself in his preferred central midfield role, an area where he previously learned from both departed stars.
Former Newcastle defender Kieran Trippier, who played alongside Miley before his own departure, has been full of praise for the academy graduate.