OPINION
Newcastle United must act now over Sean Longstaff’s contract situation as the attention he is reportedly attracting from the likes of Celtic and Manchester United may lead to the club making an embarrassing mistake.
According to the Chronicle on Monday, Longstaff along with teammate Freddie Woodman were watched by scouts of Man United, the Hoops and Kilmarnock when they featured for the Magpies’ U-23s on Friday.
The 5ft 9in tall midfielder (Source: Tranfermarkt) has a bright future at the St James Park as he is one of the most promising talents to emerge through the youth system in recent memory.
However the Chronicle’s report revealed Longstaff could easily be stolen from the Magpies’ clutches as his current contract is on course to expire at end of this season which means clubs outside England could snap him up for £300,000.
If Longstaff was to leave it would be painful but if he was to leave for a six-figure fee, when you consider his potential, then it would be an embarrassing mistake the club would forget for years.
The 20-year-old central midfielder made his senior debut against Nottingham Forest this season in the EFL Cup and has showcased enough potential to Rafa Benitez in order to make the bench for the Premier League clash with Manchester City and Chelsea in this campaign.
Given that Longstaff, despite his young age and lack of experience, is on the fringes of the first-team squad, it shows that the Magpies must do everything to keep him.
Therefore the Magpies must act now to sort his contract situation in order to deter his potential suitors, who will likely grow in number, and make it clear that his long-term future is at St James Park.
