There seems to be a dim light flickering at the end of the tunnel when it comes to Newcastle United's seemingly never-ending injury crisis. However, despite key assets returning to the pitch, the damage caused by months of limited options being at Eddie Howe's disposal has taken its toll on some of his squad's younger stars.
Tuesday's press conference brought with it confirmation that Lewis Miley, 17, will play no part in the remainder of the season after suffering a back injury while away with England Under-20's in March.
“He’s done brilliantly this season, but I think with the back problem that he has, rest is probably the right way for us to go and even if there was a chance – and there possibly was if we pushed him to come back – we took that away very early with his age and thinking about his long-term prospects," Howe told reporters.
Miley has indeed performed brilliantly this season, featuring a whopping 26 times as Newcastle dealt with injury blow after injury blow. Howe has often spoken of the need to protect the teenager given his age and inexperience, which makes it no surprise to see the midfielder given the rest of the campaign off.
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Newcastle sought specialist advice on the most suitable course of action to take with the academy graduate, who has suffered damage to the lower part of his spine. Playing significant minutes at the highest level while Miley's body is still growing has played its part in the issue occurring.
Given Sandro Tonali's untimely and unexpected suspension, along with injuries to Sean Longstaff, Joelinton, Joe Willock and Elliot Anderson at different stages of the campaign, Miley has been deployed in the middle of the park more than Howe and Newcastle's medical team would have liked.
The club are aware of the risks attached to rushing Miley back before he is fully healed and will now seek to avoid further issues with a proper course of rehabilitation in the coming weeks. There is a chance Miley's progress could be significantly stunted should he not be allowed to overcome such a risky injury.
Newcastle have decided to take the same course of action with regards to Joe Willock and his Achilles injury, with the former Arsenal man set to continue his work behind the scenes rather than featuring in the last six Premier League games.
Miley isn't the only youngster who has suffered back issues this season. Anderson missed 25 senior matches in all competitions between October and March in what was meant to be his big, breakout year under Howe's stewardship.
As the treatment room door revolved over the winter months, Newcastle used restrain and refused to rush Anderson back before he was 100 per cent ready. The absence was an incredibly frustrating one, for both player and manager, but the 21-year-old has returned with impressive performances and a renewed desire to impress in the final fixtures of the season.
“I think it was the type of injury where we had to be very, very patient, which is hugely frustrating when you can’t run. He felt okay, but with that type of injury, he had to be very careful," Howe said of Anderson back in March. “We had to be careful with him, but then when he started his rehab and started getting back on the grass, he looked really good. He’s felt fine, so the last stage of his injury has been pretty quick.”
Joelinton, Kieran Trippier and Nick Pope are all edging back to full fitness but have not trained with the senior group in recent weeks. Six games remain and tough decisions will need to be made over the fitness of key players to avoid further setbacks before the summer break.
