Sport
Could a move get Sean Longstaff back on track?
On a cold January night, Sean Longstaff came of age. For Newcastle United to have produced an academy player capable of competing in the Premier League without a hitch was a rarity, but against Manchester City at St James’ Park in 2019, Longstaff propelled himself into the national consciousness. Everyone sat up to take notice.
The first to comment possessed arguably the most relevant voice in modern football. Pep Guardiola had just seen his team go down 2-1. They’d taken the lead inside 30 seconds but let it slip in the second half. For Newcastle, it was a victory which drew them back from a scary precipice, with the wheels of frustration that would eventually lead to Rafael Benitez’s exit a few months later already in motion.
But that night, which was preceded by the imminent arrival of Miguel Almiron in what was, at the time, a club-record transfer designed to appease Benitez in an ominous power play, everything clicked.
Sean Longstaff stood out in midfield alongside Isaac Hayden. They never allowed City to settle and earned named praise from Guardiola in his post-match press conference.
“We could not deal with Newcastle’s holding midfielders,” he sighed. “We started with the goal but we didn’t have the rhythm we need to impose our game. We didn’t take the rhythm of the game, it was slow and we weren’t aggressive enough.”
Both Longstaff brothers, Sean and Matty, who had his own burst of national attention by scoring the winner against Manchester United the following season, were known to their coaches in the Newcastle youth ranks. Local talent has never been an issue in the North East but, to the bemusement of everyone, Newcastle had seldom been able to harness it, with most of the biggest names from the region — such as Alan Shearer and Michael Carrick — starting their journeys elsewhere. There was a genuine feeling that the two of them could make it big, though.
Just over a month after making his debut in a 4-0 defeat to Liverpool on Boxing Day 2018, Longstaff’s stock had risen beyond anything that could be expected. By February, he’d scored his first goal for the club in a victory against Burnley. His introduction to the side offered context for a fanbase so often alienated by the self-harming tactics of its club and coincided with an upturn in form which transformed the mood and gave life to Newcastle’s battle against the drop.
Everything came to a head in early March as Sean Longstaff faced up to Declan Rice and West Ham. There had been comparisons with Carrick and tentative talk of an England call up. Debate between the two sets of fans over which youngster was better was in full swing.
Rice scored as the Hammers won 2-0, and Longstaff suffered a knee injury which kept him out for the season. Suddenly, momentum was sapped away, and for a number of reasons, things never stayed the same for the 21-year-old.
Interest from Manchester United was serious, despite the fact that Sean Longstaff had signed a new contract as soon as his breakthrough at Newcastle was noted. It was concrete evidence that they had a player on their hands but the Red Devils were shocked to hear he was valued at £50m. Steve Bruce had replaced Benitez and, between the speculation turning his head, his long recovery from injury and the feeling of ensuing crisis after Benitez’s exit, it became harder for him to thrive. He was no longer the new kid on the block, there was expectation on his shoulders and, perhaps, less good will.
Over time, his contract has run down and his form has not recovered. There are no longer any comparisons with Rice, now a fully fledged England starter. Sean Longstaff needs to take some responsibility for that, as any player should, but the contrast in styles between Benitez and Bruce is hardly subtle. Whereas the latter prefers an emotional approach to his work, Benitez is meticulous, constantly coaching and advising players.
There were so many beneficiaries of this at Newcastle but few felt it more than Sean Longstaff. He went from scrawny and raw to someone with the makings of a refined, tempo-dictating Premier League midfielder in the space of a few months. He was sharper, fitter and more attentive when he emerged.
It would be a crying shame for Newcastle to lose one of their brightest youth products of recent years, or two, because Matty is also approaching the end of his contract with no real prospect of progress too. But the damage has been done in some ways; hope that Sean would turn into a driving force in the team was genuine and now he is drifting, on the periphery of the team and clearly in need of inspiration not forthcoming from Bruce.
Having initially recognised his quality and shunned top level interest, there is now a suggestion that Newcastle would do a deal for the elder Longstaff at £10m, a year ahead of losing him for free. With Benitez at Everton and shopping on a tight budget, that link was obvious but it makes sense. The Toffees have to be smart in the market, signing low-risk, high-reward players. Longstaff needs to get back on track but his destination was once the very top and it was the Spaniard who set him on that journey. Maybe a reunion could see him hit those heights again, even if the projection was a little premature.
Perhaps it was you much, too soon for Sean Longstaff at Newcastle but, once Benitez left, it became too little for too long. It was Sir John Hall, the club’s former chairman, who had a dream of eleven Geordies on the pitch. That ship has long since sailed but now there is no desire to build around the local talent they do have. From the player’s point of view, joint up with his former manager is the best option. It is a deal that would suit everyone, except the soulless, aimless selling club.
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