Quantcast
Blogs

Thompson drools over Longstaff

|
Image for Thompson drools over Longstaff

Phil Thompson has hailed Matty Longstaff for his Premier League debut for Newcastle United a fortnight ago, claiming it was “one of the best” he has ever seen. 

The teenager hit the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Manchester United prior to the international break, and Thompson has admitted that he was blown away by the impact he had on the game.

Speaking on Sky Sports News (Saturday October 19th, 14.36), he said: “He was no shrinking violet, was he?

“He took it on himself. Probably one of the best debuts I think I’ve ever seen.

“And he didn’t take the easy way out either. He was passing the ball forward as often as he could. He was absolutely fantastic.”

OPINION

Longstaff was absolutely superb against Manchester United a fortnight ago, and he fully deserved his place the starting lineup against Chelsea on Saturday afternoon. For a teenager, he approached his debut with a large measure maturity and levelheadedness, and you would have been forgiven for thinking he had been operating in that engine room for years and years. In that match, he managed two shots – one which hit the bar and one which hit the back of the net – one key pass, and wasn’t dispossessed once, as per Whoscored. He also registered a match rating of 8.05, which is higher than Kevin De Bruyne’s average for the season so far. It was a dream start to life in the Premier League, and one that was no doubt made even more special by the fact that he had his big brother, Sean, partnering him in the centre of the park. Brilliant stuff.

Share this article