Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff has been named in UEFA’s 50 for the future list.
The 21-year-old excelled in the heart of midfield under Rafael Benitez last season and has featured by UEFA as one to watch in 2019/2020 season alongside some of Europe’s brightest talents.
Longstaff is one of only three players from the Premier League to feature in the list, with Arsenal defender William Saliba and Liverpool forward Rhian Brewster also being highlighted.
The Newcastle youngster was introduced to St James’ Park in the second half of last season and made eight consecutive top-flight appearances before injury ruled him out of the final two months.
OPINION
Longstaff was one of many positives throughout last season in the North East, as Benitez transformed his Newcastle side into an established mid-table Premier League side. Things have gone downhill since the end of last season, with the Spaniard out of the door and influential players such as Ayoze Perez and Salomon Rondon not at the club. Longstaff was reported by Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol to have been the center of talks between Manchester United and the Magpies over the summer – highlighting his great potential. But, the 21-year-old has featured in pre-season for Newcastle after recovering from his injury and his presence at St James’ Park is massive for the club going into next season. Longstaff anchored the midfield, giving great protection to the backline, averaging 1.9 tackles per game on top of 1.1 interceptions which helped Newcastle keep 11 clean-sheets last season [WhoScored]. Longstaff can become even better in the years to come and if Bruce can keep ahold of his brightest talent, Longstaff could be the lynchpin of the entire squad while he is at St James’ Park.
