OPINION
Newcastle United have handed young midfielder Sean Longstaff a fresh four-year deal in a huge show of faith, with the 21-year-old signing on at St. James’ Park until 2022.
Longstaff has long been touted as one of the big talents in the Magpies academy, but the central midfielder has so far made just one first-team appearance for the club.
His new contract, as reported on the club’s official website on Monday, shows that the club believe in Longstaff’s ability to become a regular first-team player over the course of his fresh four-year deal.
However, for that to happen the 21-year-old must be given enough chances to prove himself at first-team level, with young players only able to reach their potential if given the right opportunities to improve.
So far that has not yet happened under Rafa Benitez, with Longstaff’s only game for the first-team coming in their FA Cup defeat by Championship side Nottingham Forest earlier this season.
Obviously the Magpies have endured a pretty tough season so far, especially during those early months in which they went their first ten Premier League games without a win.
Three wins since then have eased the pressure a bit, but a 3-0 home loss to West Ham illustrated that there is still a long way to go for this Newcastle side if they are to avoid a relegation dogfight.
That being said, if Benitez is reluctant to play Longstaff due to the fact that it has been a tough season so far, then by that logic the youngster will hardly ever play for the first-team.
The fact is that Newcastle are unlikely to sail through a Premier League season in the next couple of years with Mike Ashley still at the helm.
Longstaff must be thrown in at the deep end if he is to make progress, because at 21 years old he needs to be playing regular first-team football.
Newcastle must therefore follow this contract up with increased game time or watch Longstaff fail to reach his considerable potential in the coming seasons.
