A 17-year-old from Stanley has put himself squarely in contention for a Mason Miley Premier League debut against Liverpool next Sunday, with Newcastle United head coach Matthias Jaissle making clear he would not hesitate to hand the teenager the nod if form demands it.
Miley caught the eye against Bayer Leverkusen in pre-season, completing a man-of-the-match performance alongside his brother Lewis before going off with cramp. Jaissle pulled the youngster in for a hug at full time and then used his attitude as a direct message to the senior dressing room.
‘I was really happy,’ Jaissle told Chronicle Live. ‘Mason did an amazing job, a young lad, suffering cramps, we mentioned it in the locker room that this is the attitude we need. Suffering until the end until the tank is empty, great attitude so I am really happy for him.’
Mason Miley Premier League debut on the table for Liverpool
Asked point-blank whether he would start Miley against Liverpool, Jaissle did not shut the door. ‘There is still time before the Liverpool game. We have to wait to see, but as you saw against Leverkusen, he has the right heart and the right quality to do well,’ he said. ‘Definitely. If he is doing well, why not? But as I say there is still some time before Liverpool and a couple of days in the transfer market.’
The fact Jaissle raised the transfer market in the same breath matters. Miley is not even operating in his primary position, yet he has overtaken Leo Shahar, the ex-Wolves youngster, in the pecking order during pre-season. Newcastle hope to tie up a £25m deal for Amar Dedic from Benfica before the Liverpool fixture, and the club are also trying to force a deal for Joao Palhinha from Bayern Munich. Even if Dedic arrives, Miley’s performances put him, on current form, in a strong position for the weekend.
Lewis Miley is another option in that role, as Jaissle acknowledged: ‘His brother can also play in that position, so let’s see what happens until Liverpool.’
The Stanley lads: a football family from County Durham
Both Mason and Lewis Miley are products of the same tight-knit Northeast background. According to Wikipedia, Lewis was born in Stanley, County Durham, and was educated at Tanfield School, the same Stanley that Jaissle publicly referenced when praising Mason after the Leverkusen game. Lewis has already made the step up to international football, earning his England under-21 cap on 15 November 2024 as a second-half substitute in a 0-0 draw with Spain.
The Miley footballing family does not stop at two, either. Lewis has an older brother, Jamie, who plays for Hartlepool United. Three brothers, three professional footballers, all from the same corner of County Durham.
Mason is the youngest of the brothers to have pulled on a Newcastle shirt in a competitive context, and the cramp he picked up against Leverkusen only seemed to enhance Jaissle’s regard for him. Running yourself into the ground against Champions League opposition at 17 will do that.
Transfer window noise will not wait
Jaissle made no secret of his frustration at the volume of transfer questions after the Leverkusen game, but he did not dodge the subject entirely. ‘There will be some changes for sure,’ he said. ‘It’s important there something done, and I hope we see it soon.’
The balance Jaissle has to strike is real: bring in the right players without disrupting a pre-season that has thrown up a genuine prospect in Mason Miley. Newcastle United face Strasbourg before the Liverpool fixture, giving Leo Shahar a chance to push his own case. But right now, the 17-year-old from Stanley is the form player in that position.
Jaissle’s message in the dressing room after the Leverkusen game was simple: run until the tank is empty. Mason Miley did exactly that. Whether he starts against Liverpool at St James’ Park next Sunday is the question now keeping Newcastle fans talking.