AT the start of the 2023-24 season, Newcastle United found themselves with two young, homegrown central midfielders, hoping to force their way into the first-team squad.

One was North Shields-born Elliot Anderson. He began the campaign in the senior group, featuring in the first nine Premier League games as either a starter or substitute, but was sidelined when a stress fracture in his back kept him out of action for five months. He eventually returned to force his way back into Edde Howe’s plans in the final two months of the season.

The other was Stanley-born Lewis Miley. He was still in the Under-21s set-up at the start of the season, but found himself fast-tracked into the first team when injuries began to bite as the demands of competing in both the Premier League and Champions League took their toll. Despite being just 17, Miley made 16 starts in domestic and European competition over the course of less than five months before succumbing to a back problem of his own.

Two similar players; two very similar stories. But two very different subsequent journeys in the last season-and-a-half....