There were some raised eyebrows at Carrow Road when the lineup was announced and midfielder Sean Longstaff had been relegated to the bench in favour of Ki Sung Yueng.
After the fantastic form after breaking into the side last season, many thought he would be a permanent fixture in the starting XI when he returned from the season-ending injury picked up at West Ham.
But in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Tottenham game on Sunday, Bruce defended his decision to leave out the Newcastle youngster.
He said: “I detected he was a bit ginger with his knee, which was understandable.
“I had a conversation, it’s normal to miss a game or two to make sure he’s ready. When he came on, he had an immediate influence; we were much better.”
Bruce has got a few things wrong in the first couple of games in charge, but his handling of Longstaff is not one of them, and here are the reasons why.
He has just returned from a serious injury
The ligament injury sustained by Longstaff was a very serious one, and one that has ended careers for some players in the past.
The last thing anyone wants is for it to reoccur, which could seriously threaten his playing future.
He has suddenly become such a valuable player to Newcastle, that nurturing him and wrapping him up in proverbial cotton wool is sensible, and putting the welfare of the player first – and Newcastle should be applauded for that.
He is still young and crafting his skill
Longstaff is only 21-years-old, and has made a lot of headlines nationwide since he burst onto the scene.
He is still a novice, having only made a handful of starts, and even with all the talent in the world, it still needs to be honed.
As he gets stronger and more wily, he will be the heart of the team for years to come, and looks a shoe-in to be a skipper in his future years.
Taking care of him, and not burning him out before he reaches his peak is the correct thing to do.
He needs to re-focus after summer rumours
After a summer which saw his name continually linked with a move to Manchester United, it would be hard for anyone to brush it all aside, let alone a young player still making his way in the game.
Although his head may not have been turned, per se, it is bound to have had an effect, particularly with Newcastle’s past record of unexpectedly selling their star assets.
With that in mind, Longstaff may need time to take stock of all that happened during the off-season, put the hype behind him and get back to focusing solely on playing for Newcastle United again.
As mentioned previously, Bruce has made mistakes since his arrival, but his man-management of Sean Longstaff is a good thing for both the player and Newcastle.
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