Matty Longstaff didn’t make the bench on Saturday, and is still expected to leave Newcastle on loan this summer.
That’s according to the Athletic, who have reaffirmed the Magpies’ desire to move the midfielder on temporarily.
While Newcastle were celebrating a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest, Longstaff wasn’t involved. He wasn’t named as a substitute, even after Jamaal Lascelles had to drop out late in the day.
It raised fresh doubt on his future, despite spending pre-season with the first-team. The younger Longstaff brother travelled with the team to Austria and Portugal, and even featured in the game against Benfica.
The 22-year-old came on for the injured Jonjo Shelvey, who is set to miss the first half of the season after surgery. But even that doesn’t look likely to keep Longstaff at St James’ Park this season.
It appears that his future lies elsewhere. However, there is one issue that needs to be sorted out before he potentially departs.
Newcastle must sort out Longstaff contract situation before leaving
The local lad’s current contract is set to expire next summer. Before he joined Aberdeen on loan last summer, he agreed a one-year extension until 2023.
Newcastle are therefore in a position where they need to sort out his future before he departs. It would be foolish to loan him out and then lose him on a free straight away. What if he performs so well that Eddie Howe wants to keep him?
If Newcastle are going to send Longstaff out on loan then they at least need to get him to sign on for another year with the club. Then his future can properly be addressed next summer.
Sadly for Longstaff, it feels unlikely that he has a long-term future at St James’ Park. He hasn’t kicked on since that sensational debut, while better players have since joined the job. And that is likely to continue.
It will be interesting to see what level Longstaff joins this summer. He went to Mansfield in League Two in the second half of last season, and he will want to play at a much higher level.
But it seems certain that he won’t be playing Premier League football.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
