Newcastle United have found Sandro Tonali alternative amid controversial £35m transfer agreement
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Eddie Howe hopes Lewis Miley can be a major part of Newcastle United’s squad for years to come.
The 18-year-old marked his first start since last February with a superb long-range strike in the Magpies’ 3-1 win against Bromley in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday.
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Hide AdMiley was deployed in the number six role with Sandro Tonali rested and received big praise after the game, not just for his goal but his use of the ball too.


Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s Premier League clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Howe was asked if the Stanley-born midfielder can act as Tonali’s ‘body double’.
But the United boss was keen to stress that Miley is an “all rounder”.
“He is a bit of everything,” said Howe. “I wouldn’t want to label him as one position at the moment. He has played really well as a 6 and I loved him in that position on Sunday. He got a lot of the ball and took that responsibility excellently. But he has the ability to play as an 8.
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Hide Ad“When he played last year, the majority of the time he was in the higher position. I remember him scoring and assisting. He’s certainly got great legs.
“What he has added in his time out is a bit more physicality, more power. His aerial ability is improving as well. He is very much an all-rounder who can do a bit of everything.”
Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) have come back into focus this week after it was confirmed all clubs have stayed compliant. In previous seasons, Everton and Nottingham Forest have been hit with points deductions for surpassing the £105million limit over a three-year cycle.
Newcastle were in danger of becoming the latest club to breach PSR but managed to save themselves just hours before the June 30 deadline by offloading Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh to Nottingham Forest and Brighton & Hove Albion, respectively, for a combined £68m.
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Hide AdAs an academy graduate, Anderson’s £35m sale went on the books as “pure profit”. Howe hopes to avoid a similar scenario regarding Miley, who joined the club’s academy aged seven.
“The last thing we want to do, or I want to do as the manager of the club, is to sell academy products who have the potential to play for this team for many years,” said Howe.
‘Elliott was a case in point - it was the last sale we wanted to make. We knew his qualities and he had just broken into the team towards the back end of last season. He had performed really well in a variety of roles for us.
‘But we were faced with literally no other option in that moment with 48 hours to go, we had to make a decision that we did not want to make. It will always be our last choice to do that. But, when you add up everything together and you go, ‘Well, it’s a points deduction and breaching PSR or making a sale’, I think you have to make the sale”.
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