Matty Longstaff can make a “huge impact” at Newcastle United this season, according to former Toon hero Lee Clark.
The young midfielder has impressed in preseason, and did enough to convince Steve Bruce to give him a place in his 25-man Premier League squad for the new campaign.
And Clark believes that he can kick on and become an important player for the Magpies, just like his brother, Sean.
Speaking to Tribal Football, he said: “Matty’s a different player to Sean in that he’s a smaller version, very aggressive and loves to get around people.
“But he also has great ability and I’ve got no doubt he can make a huge impact.
“I think he’s made such a strong impact in preseason that there’s a strong chance he could be on the bench against Arsenal on the weekend.”
OPINION
The obvious comparison that will be made is between Matty and brother Sean, and if the younger Longstaff comes anywhere near to matching the performance levels put in by his sibling last term, then he will no doubt be a big hit on Tyneside. Sean has a pass completion rate of 80.9% last season, including 3.3 long balls per game, and also managed a dispossession rate of just 0.7 times per match, as per Whoscored. With those kind of stats, no wonder he was being touted as the next big thing on Tyneside, and all the early signs are that Matty could be just as special. The youngster has been impressive in preseason, and also showed that he has a good eye for goal with a stunning strike in his home debut against St. Etienne. Now the real work begins though, and he will be hoping to get in amongst the action as soon as possible.
