Newcastle United head coach Steve Bruce is expected to continue with teenager Matty Longstaff in central midfield against Chelsea on Saturday, according to the Northern Echo.
The newspaper claims that the Magpies boss will stick with the same Longstaff and Longstaff combination that proved so successful against Manchester United last time out.
Meanwhile, Bruce will use the rise of the younger Longstaff as a means to fire a warning to midfielders Isaac Hayden and Jonjo Shelvey to improve their performances.
He wants the duo to fight for their first team places back having been usurped by the two local lads.
OPINION
It’s no surprise that Bruce is set to go with what worked so well against United once again on Saturday. The two Longstaffs are a bundle of energy in central midfield, and they compliment each other really well. Sean dictates possession with his excellent passing, keeping the game ticking over and giving a sub-standard Newcastle side a modicum of control in games. Matty, meanwhile, tears around with the reckless abandon of an excitable hare and isn’t afraid to get forward, as he showed with his tremendous match-winning strike against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side. Hayden remains suspended after his sending off against Leicester City and so he was never going to return in this one, but it sounds as if even when he’s back available he’s likely to have a problem shifting the brothers from the starting line up. Perhaps that’s slightly harsh on him, although Shelvey can have no complaints about being stuck on the sidelines given his displays this season.
