Newcastle United's Lewis Miley and Sean Steur started against Bayer Leverkusen in Saturday's pre-season friendly, providing a first glimpse of a partnership that could define the club's new era.
The 2-1 defeat at the BayArena saw the duo line up together in midfield, with CEO David Hopkinson, sporting director Ross Wilson and performance director James Bunce watching from the directors' box. The trio have overseen a summer of significant change, selling Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon, while Kieran Trippier has also left the club.
A new-look Newcastle
Eddie Howe has been replaced as head coach by Matthias Jaissle, whom Hopkinson has called a 'rock star' and the man to lead 'Newcastle 2.0'. The club's strategy is to blend experienced players with young talent, and Miley, who signed a new six-year deal, is seen as a potential poster boy of the project.
Miley, 20, made his first pre-season appearance of the summer against Leverkusen. He looked physically imposing in midfield, while 18-year-old Steur, who has been the standout player of pre-season, was positive and constantly looked to pass into the front line.
Jaissle urges patience
Jaissle, however, urged caution over expectations for Miley, who has already made 85 first-team appearances in the Premier League and Champions League.
"First of all, we need to be careful," Jaissle told Chronicle Live. "This young lad came back now from an injury and had a couple of training sessions, played now the first 45 minutes. I don't want to give him a huge responsibility and pressure and you should also not give him that from outside.
"He has so much potential, we need to let him grow, develop naturally, he gets the full support but I am very much looking forward to seeing him 100 per cent fit and ready because of his qualities. He is a true talent."
Jaissle also suggested Miley could step into a leadership role, saying: "We can just encourage the players to refill these positions. The current squad needs to step into these positions, taking more responsibility even if they are young lads.
"When you see today, Lewis Miley, for instance, he could be a guy that needs to step then into these roles without giving him too much pressure, because he is just a young lad. It is a big chance for other players."
Ready for Liverpool?
Miley and Steur are now front-runners to start as the midfield pairing against Liverpool in a week's time, with Newcastle facing Strasbourg on Tuesday before that Premier League opener.
