Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff could get a rare chance to feature for the first-team against Chelsea on Saturday, according to Shield Gazette journalist Miles Starforth.
The North East reporter revealed that the 5ft 11in tall 21-year-old (Source: Transfermarkt) had been omitted from Newcastle’s U-21s squad for Tuesday clash with Sunderland via his personal Twitter account.
As expected, Sean Longstaff hasn't been risked tonight. He could even play against Chelsea with Jonjo Shelvey and Mohamed Diame doubtful and Ki Sung-yueng away for the Asian Cup. #nufc
— Miles Starforth (@milesstarforth) January 8, 2019
Longstaff has been an unused substitute for multiple Premier League games this season but has played 17 minutes of top-flight football for the senior side so far after a brief cameo appearance against Liverpool.
OPINION
Longstaff looked impressive in his brief outing against the Reds and was arguably only one of the positives to take from the 4-0 defeat courtesy of Jurgen Klopp’s men. However Benitez then opted to not use him in the league games with Manchester United or Watford that followed, though he did feature against Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup in the club’s latest outing. While the midfielder didn’t overall wow against the Championship outfit, but who did, he was not one of the worst offenders during that match. It makes sense for Benitez to be considering the possibility of handing Longstaff a rare chance to feature in the Premier League for that reason especially when you consider both Jonjo Shelvey and Mohamed Diame are injury doubts. It is fantastic to see a home-grown talent like Longstaff potentially getting a chance against Chelsea but it is also a damning indication of how there is lack of depth regarding Benitez’s midfield options.
