OPINION
Rafa Benitez must unleash Sean Longstaff for his first Premier League outing as soon as possible after confirming that Ki Sung-yeung is set to report for international duty after Saturday’s clash with Fulham.
The Spanish manager confirmed on Friday, as stated on the club’s official website, that the pass master, who has become regular in his side, was set to compete in the Asia Cup for South Korea during January.
Given that Benitez doesn’t have tons of midfield options, he needs to allow the very promising Longstaff to taste top-flight football in England sooner not later after being dealt a selection headache courtesy of Ki being set to depart.
Jonjo Shelvey is the obvious player to fill Ki’s spot in the team but the 26-year-old has regularly battled injuries this season and has made only nine league appearances as a result.
The 26-year-old is even confirmed by the Magpies’ website to be missing Saturday’s clash with Fulham so it’s no guarantee he’ll be able to fill in smoothly while Ki is away.
Benitez’s other option is Isaac Hayden but the 23-year-old midfielder hasn’t looked at the races all season.
Hayden has made five league appearances in total and his display against Arsenal and cameo appearance against Cardiff City were particularly woeful.
Therefore the Spanish manager has to make Longstaff a better option to rely on, in Ki’s absence, by seeing him how he’s fares in the Premier League as soon as possible, with Saturday’s trip against Fulham a possible great chance to test him out.
The 21-year-old midfielder has been sniffing around the first-team all season and has been an unused substitute in the division six times already.
Longstaff made his first appearance for the senior side in August in the EFL Cup clash with Nottingham Forest and while his side lost 3-1 to the Championship outfit, the youngster showed signs that he could be a player who could potentially aid the first-team.
The central midfielder’s passing looked neat and he seemed calm in possession when he was no doubt feeling the pressure from making his senior debut.
This all means that after Benitez was dealt a headache regarding his midfield due to confirming that Ki was set to depart for the next few weeks to represent his country, the manager must unleash Longstaff for his first Premier League outing of his career sooner rather than later.
