Micah Richards: Newcastle have the ‘next Steven Gerrard’ in their ranks

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Credit: Getty Images / The Rest is Football podcast Mon 22 December 2025 14:10, UK Micah Richards has heaped praise on Newcastle starlet Lewis Miley after he shone against Chelsea despite playing at right-back.Durham-born midfielder Miley joined the Magpies’ academy at seven-years-old and progressed through their youth set-up to make his first-team debut for his boyhood club in May 2023.He became Newcastle’s youngest-ever Premier League player back then, and he has continued to impress over the last two years, with numerous appearances in the Champions League and two goals in 19 outings last season.Football Insider revealed in the summer that Newcastle had no plans to let Miley leave, and their decision to keep hold of him despite interest from Ipswich Town and other clubs abroad has proven to be the correct one in recent months.Newcastle fans have called for Miley to be given more chances this season after some stellar substitute showings, and he was one of their best performers against Chelsea despite being thrust into an unfavourable position.Photo Credit: ImagoRichards praises Miley after he kept Alejandro Garnacho quiet in Chelsea drawNewcastle drew 2-2 with Chelsea on Saturday as Nick Woltemade’s early brace was cancelled out by second half strikes from Reece James and Joao Pedro.Miley started at right-back rather than central midfield in the absence of Tino Livramento, and he put in a strong performance with 16 defensive contributions as Garnacho failed to make an impact. MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES Speaking on the Rest Is Football podcast, former Man City and England right-back Richards lavished praise on the 19-year-old and admitted that he does share traits with Steven Gerrard after previously doubting his ability.He said: “Lewis Miley…he played right back against Garnacho, one of the trickiest.

“There was one incident where I was thinking, ‘ooh, Garnacho’s going to run him here’, but I want you to look at his footwork, the way he was just biding his time, biding his time, and when he knocked it forward, he got his body in. I was thinking ‘he’s a midfielder!’ “His timing of his runs when he went forward, on the ball, because he’s a midfielder, he’s comfortable.

I looked at his performance and thought, ‘wow, what a player.’ “And I think he’s had good performances in midfield, but I never said to myself that he’s going to be the next Steven Gerrard. But that performance there at 19 years of age, that was an amazing performance.“Miley is set to stay at right-back with Livramento and Kieran Trippier out injuredMagpies boss Eddie Howe insisted that Miley “can be as good as anyone in his position, whichever position he plays“, after he shone and netted the winner against Fulham in the Carabao Cup last week.The England youth star has had to fill in at right-back in the last two games with Livramento and Trippier both sidelined, and he could be in line to continue there in the near future too.Credit: ImagoLivramento suffered another injury against Fulham and faces three weeks on the sidelines, while Trippier picked up a hamstring problem in November and is still yet to fully recover with a potential January exit in the offing.Miley looks to have nailed down a starting spot on the right side of Howe’s defence for now, and he may become a regular starter in midfield soon if he can continue to show his quality in the coming weeks.