They’re almost interchangeable, both in looks and in how they play, but if you have watched the two brothers, Sean Longstaff and Matty Longstaff, a fair few times, then you will understand the key differences between them.
Sean Longstaff is a more towering presence, more dominant. The 23-year-old midfielder can hold in front of the backline with more astuteness and is able to domineer a transition from the front to the back; he is, in fact, the preferable brother for how Steve Bruce sets up – given that side are so often in their own backyard attempting to shut down any attack at goal and hit on the break.
S. Longstaff has had scattered performances for Newcastle this season. He has featured 14 times this campaign and six of those were coming off the bench. Perhaps it’s the lack of consistency – but his most impressive traits are only averaging 0.7 key passes per-90 minutes, and winning 0.7 headers in the same time. His Whoscored rating for the season is 6.33 – a number which is average at best.
However, given that he is a local lad – and time is on his side and he is already making a fair few appearances – the elder brother looks set to be a part of Newcastle’s future. Whether next campaign he is able to dislodge the veteran Jonjo Shelvey out of the starting lineup – a player ranked sixth-best in the side, according to WhoScored – is another question. Should he keep up the performances like the one against Burnley in April, then that is all very possible.
Meanwhile, Matty Longstaff has scarcely featured for Newcastle. A more of an attacking threat, the trouble is that more forward-thinking positions are already filled. That’s not to say he’s an attacking-midfielder as such, far from it – he is just inoperable in such a side that Bruce sets out. (Well, that’s the argument, anyway.)
It wasn’t too long ago when M. Longstaff was set to be Udinese’s highest-paid player – a huge boost from his contract at the time with his hometown side – just £850-a-week. The deal fell through, but even the fact it was on the cards upset Newcastle fans no end.
He has not achieved brilliant stats for Newcastle, but he has only played 377 minutes overall. His talent is evident, however, and because of his out-of-this-world brilliance fans have wanted to stick with him. Last season is probably a better reflection of his ability. The number four scored twice in six outings in the Premier League, even claiming a Man of the Match award for his performance against Manchester United in October 2019, but in the entirety of his career in the northwest, he has zero assists and has only made 0.4 key passes per-90.
Given they are Geordie lads, there is hope that they will eventually thrive and take over in the midfield department at Newcastle, but they need opportunities and certainly not a reason to be pushed out of the door. With Matty still 21 and Sean only 23, Bruce will hopefully see that they get enough chances under their belt in the next campaign – and if so the pair could really solidify themselves as Premier League regulars for their favourite club.
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