Sean Longstaff was only fit enough for the Newcastle bench against Aston Villa last weekend, but has now trained ahead of the clash with Tottenham Hotspur.
Eddie Howe dropped Longstaff to the bench last time out, with Anthony Gordon taking his place in the starting XI. It initially looked like a tactical decision, but the Newcastle boss later confirmed that the midfielder had been suffering with illness.
Longstaff had tonsillitis in the buildup to the Villa game, which meant he was only fit enough to be a substitute after not training during the week.
His presence in midfield was a big miss, as Unai Emery’s side dominated proceedings at Villa Park.
There have been calls for Longstaff to be reinstated to the starting XI against Tottenham on Sunday, and those calls will only get louder after the 25-year-old was spotted in training.
Sean Longstaff nets Newcastle penalty in training video
The club have released a video to their official YouTube account from one of this week’s training sessions. The likes of Kieran Trippier and Alexander Isak are involved, as is Longstaff.
He appears to have shaken off any fitness concern, and was caught netting a penalty past Loris Karius during the video. Another academy graduate in Paul Dummett was unable to do the same, as he blazed his spot kick over the bar.
It won’t come down to penalties on Sunday, but the result will have a big impact on who qualifies for the Champions League.
That is why Howe will be keen to recall Longstaff, who has been excellent this season. He has been a picture of consistency, although he has gone ‘under the radar‘ at times. However, his absence was certainly felt at Villa Park on Saturday, and that should lead to him starting this weekend.
Who he replaces remains to be seen. Plenty of players struggled at Villa who could lose their place in the side. Longstaff’s replacement Gordon was really disappointing, while Joelinton and Joe Willock also underperformed in midfield.
Howe has a lot to ponder ahead of Sunday, but one thing is for certain – Longstaff must start.
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