OPINION
Do you ever feel like you’re getting deja vu?
When Matty Longstaff spent 90 minutes running Manchester United ragged last Sunday, playing like a seasoned professional far beyond his years, it all felt a little familiar.
After all, it was less than 12 months ago that older brother Sean put in a similarly domineering performance against Manchester City, thus cementing himself as a key member of the Magpies’ senior squad.
And full credit to Matty, his Premier League debut for Newcastle United had more than enough class to suggest that he is well on his way to following in his brother’s footsteps.
The teenager managed two shots against the Red Devils, one of which hit the bar, and the other of which found the back of the net.
He also registered a key pass and a Whoscored rating of 8.05.
For context, that’s the same match rating as Kevin De Bruyne’s average so far this campaign.
Naturally, that kind of performance is going to draw attention, and so it has become fairly common knowledge over the past week or so that Longstaff is entering the final year of his contract.
Obviously, Newcastle want to keep him, and understandably so – not only was he fantastic on the pitch, but he exudes a pride and spirit that has been sorely lacking around St. James’ Park at points this season.
So it will come as huge solace to supporters and staff alike to hear that the youngster would ideally like to stay with his boyhood club.
Speaking to the Chronicle, he said: “Yeah, obviously I want to stay at Newcastle but the biggest thing for me is just to carry on playing well and that will take care of itself.”
Nothing is set in stone just yet, but by the sounds of this latest update, fans could be breathing a massive sigh of relief in the near future.
