Phil Thompson has hailed Newcastle United duo Sean and Matty Longstaff, claiming that the pair “make stuff happen”.
Neither brother featured in the Magpies’ 3-2 win over West Ham on Saturday, with Sean out through suspension and Matty benched in favour of Jonjo Shelvey and Isaac Hayden.
But speaking prior to the game on Soccer Saturday (Sky Sports News, Saturday November 2nd, 12pm), Thompson was eager to register how impressed he has been with the pair this season.
He said: “The two Longstaff brothers are ball winners.
“They make stuff happen.
“They give you something a bit different.”
OPINION
It’s great to see two local lads getting the praise and attention they deserve from a pundit as respected as Thompson. The fact that neither one played yesterday, and yet he still felt the need to pick them out for praise shows just impressive they have been, but despite that form, both could struggle to regain a place in the starting line up. After all, Steve Bruce cannot afford to be too precious in his selections at the moment, and his need for pragmatism could mean that Hayden and Shelvey retain their places in his starting lineup in coming weeks too. Certainly, Shelvey, with his Whoscored rating of 8.18 on Saturday, deserves to be given another chance, while Hayden, who made three tackles and two interceptions, as per Whoscored, looked like the ideal foil for his creativity. Nonetheless, the Longstaffs have huge futures ahead of them.
