Newcastle United have two quality midfield prospects in Lewis Miley and Sean Steur, but they must be given senior guidance if they are to continue to progress in the first team, according to former Liverpool and Newcastle midfielder Didi Hamann.
Miley has long since proven he can cut it at Premier League level, with the 20-year-old already clocking up an incredible 88 appearances for the club in all competitions. Dutch youngster Steur joined United from Ajax in the summer, and the 18-year-old has already made an excellent impression, although he was an unused substitute in the 4-1 defeat to Coventry City.
Poster boys of a new-look squad
The pair are two of the poster boys of United's new-look young squad, but could face competition for game time, with the likes of Nico Gonzalez, Joelinton, Joe Willock and Jacob Ramsey all in Matthias Jaissle's plans.
Hamann knows how tough it is to play central midfield in the Premier League, but has been hugely impressed with Steur and Miley. However, he warned that when times get tough, they will need the guiding hand of more experienced pros alongside them.
Hamann's warning and praise
“I’ve been really impressed by both Lewis Miley and Sean Steur in this Newcastle team,” he said. “I can tell they are both smart players, they read the game well, and they are both good passers of the ball.
“I think they are in a good position playing for Newcastle as they have very good defenders behind them, which can help guide them during games and in their development. Also, as long as they put in effort and give everything for the shirt, the Toon Army will back them.
“However, you do at times need some guidance when you're a young player, and things aren’t going the team’s way during a game.
“It’s easy for young players to look poor when the team is losing games the same way it is for them to look brilliant if they are beating teams comfortably. I think both Lewis and Sean will be brilliant once Newcastle finds some consistency on the pitch.”
Jaissle backed to succeed
Jaissle is on board with the club's faith in youth, and Hamann has backed his fellow German to succeed at Newcastle after an impressive record so far in his career.
“I wasn’t surprised that Newcastle appointed Matthias Jaissle at all, it made complete sense for them,” he told Betpack. “He’s a very capable manager and a proven winner. He’s won the Austrian Bundesliga twice with RB Salzburg and two Asian Champions Leagues with Al-Ahli.
“This is why I am a bit disappointed with Newcastle’s start to the season, I expected Jaissle to come in and have a great impact. Sometimes these things take time, and Newcastle fans shouldn’t be worried.”
