Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has admitted that Sean Longstaff is pushing to be a regular starter for the Magpies.
The midfielder was named in the starting XI that beat Fulham on Saturday, taking the place of Joelinton. The Brazilian hadn’t trained during the international break, and wasn’t risked at Craven Cottage.
In his place, Longstaff performed very well. He got his first goal of the season too, reacting quickest after Sven Botman’s header was expertly saved by Bernd Leno.
It was a second goal contribution of the season for Longstaff, who also has an assist to his name. That came against Liverpool when he cleverly set up Alexander Isak for his first ever Newcastle goal.
Despite being on the fringes, the 24-year-old has actually played a lot of football so far this season. Longstaff has featured in every Premier League game, starting four of a possible eight.
Howe has been forced to include him in the starting lineup due to injuries to Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton, but the Toon boss admits that he is close to starting off of merit.
Howe on Longstaff starting regularly
After the 4-1 win over Fulham, Howe spoke to the Northern Echo. He discussed his midfield’s performance at Craven Cottage, and had some kind words to say about academy graduate Longstaff.
“I thought the midfield had a good look about it at the weekend,” he said.
“Joe performed very well, Bruno was pivotal to everything we did, and I think Sean’s got a really nice way of linking play. He’s creative, and he’s also got a goal threat.
“He’s done that most of his career. He’s scored long-range goals, although (at Fulham) it was more of a poacher’s goal from him.
“He’s been excellent for me. He’s never let me down. He’s come in again and put in a really good performance. He’s really knocking on the door to start, which is a great thing for the group.”
Howe has a big call to make on Saturday against Brentford
With Longstaff pushing to be a regular starter at Newcastle, Howe has a big decision to make this weekend.
While Joelinton was only fit enough for the bench against Fulham, he will be available to start when Brentford arrive at St James’ Park.
The £40million man has been sensational under Howe, revitalised as a centre-midfielder. Joelinton has enjoyed a strong start to the season, and is an automatic starter for most fans.
But should he return on Saturday? There’s no way he will replace Bruno, while Joe Willock was exceptional against Fulham.
That means the only position he can take is Longstaff’s. However, it would perhaps be harsh for him to be dropped back to the bench after playing so well.
It leaves Howe with a selection headache, and he will be faced with more problems soon with Jonjo Shelvey nearing a return.
Howe has some difficult decisions to make, and that is a testament to the level of competition in Newcastle’s midfield.
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