It’s probably never easy when a club says goodbye to a player, in whatever circumstances it may occur, but seeing one of your own released while they’re brother remains at the club must be a tough one to take, but that’s what is facing the Longstaffs at Newcastle United.
Newcastle United made the decision this summer to release academy product Matty Longstaff after he failed to live up to the potential he showed on his first-team debut.
Sean Longstaff, Matty’s older brother, has gone on to establish himself as a key part of Eddie Howe‘s successful side and last season played the best football of his career.
We’ll always remember Matty’s league debut and his goal of the month
It’s unfortunate that 23-year-old Matty Longstaff won’t get the chance to fulfil his potential at Newcastle.
We all remember his debut when he scored that belter against Manchester United which won Goal of the Month. He followed that up with a couple more decent performances but never established himself in the side and ended up going out on loan.
When Eddie Howe came in he made a point of saying he was keen to take a look at Matty but he obviously failed to impress and wasn’t offered a new contract. However, the club haven’t just turfed him out on his ear and are letting him train at the club and use the facilities to recover from an injury and make sure he’s ready for his next challenge, something that Sean appreciates.
Speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle, Sean Longstaff spoke about Matty’s situation saying: “It’s obviously quite sad, really.
“When the news broke, it was sad, but it’s football, and he’ll eventually get where he’s going to be.
“He’s a top, top player, and people saw that when he did play.
“We’ve played football together in the same team pretty much since we were nine years old, so we’ve had a pretty good run at it, I still speak to him all the time, and he’ll be supporting me, and I’ll be supporting him.
‘It’s something that was going to happen eventually’ – Sean Longstaff
“The club have been great with him, especially the manager and Dan [Ashworth]. They’ve done everything they can.
“They’re going to get him back fully fit, so he can go out and kick on again. I’m really grateful for that, and I know he is as well. It’s something that was going to happen eventually.”
This move could be the making of Matty, and who knows, he could find his way back to Newcastle one day.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
