Eddie Howe says ‘highly intelligent’ Newcastle star is one of the hardest runners in the Premier League

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Newcastle United have something of a midfield conundrum right now.

Eddie Howe certainly has an awful lot of options in the middle of the park but Newcastle are yet to strike the right balance thus far this season.

Bruno Guimaraes does not look at his best yet and was culpable for Fulham’s third goal in their 3-1 Premier League win over the Magpies on Saturday.

Joelinton has done little to impress since the win over Southampton on the opening day of the campaign, while Howe admitted Joe Willock perhaps should not have started at Craven Cottage.

Sandro Tonali has been impressing following his return to action after a ten-month ban from football but clearly will take a while to get back up to speed given how long he’s been out of action.

Sean Longstaff did not start at Fulham but had started every Premier League game up until that point.

Sometimes a relatively divisive figure, Howe actually explained his importance to the cause before the defeat in west London.

Eddie Howe now explains why Sean Longstaff starts so often for Newcastle

The Newcastle United manager was speaking to The Northern Echo before the game.

He said: “You just have to look at his qualities.

“He is highly intelligent and understands the team’s objectives in and out of possession.

“Technically, he is a very good player, and he has high energy. If you look at his running data week to week, it is usually one of the highest in the Premier League. He brings a lot of energy to the team and that is what we would miss if he is not playing.”

Sean Longstaff is clearly rated behind the scenes at Newcastle

Howe isn’t the first to defend Longstaff.

Indeed, Dan Burn recently stressed the midfielder gets too much criticism from supporters, such is the backing Longstaff has behind the scenes at St James’ Park.

That isn’t to say he’s perfect of course and should never be criticised as a blanket rule but he must be doing something right. While perhaps not the most fashionable of names, he clearly has qualities valued by those who work closely with him.

With the midfield not having clicked just yet, perhaps Longstaff will return to the starting lineup for both the trip to Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup and the visit of Manchester City next weekend.