Newcastle United are exuding confidence and swagger in abundance at present but must ensure that the newfound cohesion is fortified by an iron-clad underbelly.

Since the £300m PIF takeover, the Magpies have completed a score of signings and have swiftly asserted themselves as one of the Premier League's most captivating high-fliers, perched in third place with just four matches to play.

Liverpool, in fifth, are three points behind and have contested an additional fixture, and a glorious return to the Champions League after 20 years away could alight St. James's Park in sparkling glory.

Manager Eddie Howe has led his team to a remarkable resurgence and everything is falling sweetly into place in Newcastle, with throngs of promising talents pushing for a place in the 45-year-old's plans to coincide with the first team's emphatic exploits.

The crème de la crème, perhaps, is exuberant midfield prodigy Lewis Miley, who will be pushing to make an appearance in some form next season despite his tender age.

Who is Lewis Miley?

Having flourished during his formative years on Tyneside, the 17-year-old Miley signed his first professional contract with Newcastle, with academy director Steve Harper "delighted" to secure his signature and saying that "his hard work, attitude to learning, and training, as well as his technical ability, has got him to this point."

Since that momentous day for the teenager, he has partaken in a training session with the first team and looks set to increase his responsibility on the training front as Howe slowly nurtures him towards a position where he can compete for sporadic spots in match-day plans, perhaps starting with the early phases of domestic cup competition.

Hailed as a prospect with "bags of potential" by reporter Lee Ryder and lauded as "talented" by Miles Starforth, Miley has scored four goals and supplied six assists from 16 appearances at youth level – including seven direct contributions from nine Premier League 2 displays.

Furthermore, he has even featured as an unused substitute against Bournemouth for the seniors in the English top flight this term.

Already at this maiden stage, Miley has the look of an ell-encompassing and dynamic midfield option, with journalist Mark Carruthers describing him as "a powerful runner, good close control and can pick a pass."

The eight-cap England U17 international could even be said to bear a certain semblance to distinguished Magpies machine Bruno Guimaraes, who has been in scintillating form for his Premier League outfit since signing from Lyon for £40m in January 2022.

Having forged 53 showings for the Toon, the Brazilian has scored nine goals and served five assists and has been praised as "world-class" by teammate Dan Burn after his transformative effect on his side.

The £120k-per-week machine ranks among the top 17% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for assists, the top 19% for shot-creating actions, the top 17% for progressive passes and the top 12% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref, with a playing style that Miley can use as a faultless blueprint as he looks to mould his own game to ascend towards prominence.

The excitement surrounding youth players always comes with a layer of caution, with countless cases of precocity in the academy ranks falling flat when the time to grace the senior pitch arises, but there is a sense that Miley could evade this narrative.

If Howe invests time and effort into this midfield talent, there is no telling how high his ceiling could stretch, especially with a peer of 'world-class' stature in Guimaraes to nurture him to prominence.