Matty Longstaff may be in line for his Newcastle debut tonight when the Magpies face off against Leicester City in the Carabao Cup.
Matty had an active pre-season with the first-team and featured in all five of the games. While just 19-years-old, he has worked his way into head coach Steve Bruce’s plans this season.
Last week, the younger Longstaff gave an interview in which he spoke about his whirlwind summer:
“I’ve loved every minute of it, and I can’t thank Steve Bruce and his coaching staff enough.
“They’ve helped me every day. They’ve trusted me to go and play. When I have got on, I’m doing enough to stay around the place and remain part of the squad.
“By staying here, even training with the lads every day will help you improve. These are some of the best players around. If I can learn from them, it’ll be great for me.”
“At the start of pre-season my aim was to get out on loan, but pre-season went well, and I’ve remained in the squad.
“It was completely different to the way it was mapped out.”
Matty seems to have really impressed Steve Bruce since he arrived. The original plan for Matty was to go on loan, but Bruce has kept him behind as the team’s fifth midfielder.
This is what Steve Bruce has said about Matty as published in the Daily Mail.
“I didn’t know anything about him until five weeks ago.
“I saw this bright red face running around China – I thought he was going to burst! I thought, “Is he alright?”. He’s the way I used to go when you’re red like that in the heat.
“But Matty has got bounds of enthusiasm. He’s impressed me enormously over the last four, five weeks. He’s been training with us all the time, so I think it could be a good time to give him his debut.
“He’s bright, he’s tenacious, can score a goal – he’s got all the stuff you need to succeed. He’s got a huge desire to do well, like his brother.”
From these comments, it appears as though Steve Bruce is giving serious consideration to handing young Matty his Newcastle debut tonight at St James Park. While Steve Bruce is starved for choice at either end of the pitch due to the mini-injury crisis reported yesterday, in the midfield he has plenty of options available.
Jonjo Shelvey and Ki Sung-yueng didn’t feature at Tottenham and will be looking to get back in the team. Also, Sean Longstaff and Isaac Hayden were not mentioned as carrying knocks from the Spurs game. Though with Sean returning from a long-term knee injury, we would expect him to be rested for the game tonight.
If Matty does come into the side tonight, it will be part of a makeshift squad. With Joelinton, Miguel Almiron, Jamaal Lascelles, and Fabian Schar likely to miss out, the team will be short of options upfront and at the back.
We would have preferred Matty to come into a side that was established and experienced, where he could just slot into a cohesive unit. Though, we suppose any chance for a debut at St James Park will have the youngster ready and raring to go.
27 comments so far
hibbit
Aug 28, 2019 at 10:12 AM
Comment #1Charlie
this will bring back some memories
https://www.11v11.com/teams/newcastle-united/tab/matches/season/1963/
lesh
Aug 28, 2019 at 10:20 AM
Comment #2Cyprus
I think I go a bit further back than Feb 2009
https://www.nufcblog.com/2009/02/15/newcastle-now-need-to-improve-image-of-club/
The Wife
Aug 28, 2019 at 10:23 AM
Comment #3DRUMROLL PLEASE!!
The first five people to ever comment on the blog (circa May 2007) are:
P. Hugill
W
Toon Exile
Dirk
Dawn
NY Mag
Aug 28, 2019 at 10:25 AM
Comment #4All jib alts 😀 😀 😀
Bobbybee
Aug 28, 2019 at 10:30 AM
Comment #5There’s no question we’ll field a weakened side tonight, but not necessarily through choice. Getting three points in Sunday came at quite a cost injury wise. Sadly, the team he’ll play tonight will be the strongest available – which basically shows our lack of strength in depth.
Still, Matty has shown he’s capable of holding a place in the midfield and we’ve got a couple of young lads coming through who’ll jump at the chance of playing for NUFC at senior level.
Whatever team he puts out will be at least competitive and everybody involved will give 100%
Leicester will be coming here expecting a walkover. Bring it on.
Jib
Aug 28, 2019 at 10:31 AM
Comment #6NY Mag
Ha ha ha
😀
posada
Aug 28, 2019 at 10:55 AM
Comment #7Looking forward to the game now.
Night time game, should be good atmosphere.
Can’t fault the club on ticket pricing.
Got a good seat for a tenner.
Gonna save £7 on travel costs with my Metro Mover.
So, watching the game for £ 3/4.
Should be a few younger supporters, lads and dads, taking advantage of the cheaper ticketing.
RobLeenio
Aug 28, 2019 at 11:07 AM
Comment #8Lol NY Mag with the comment of the season so far
🙂
lesh
Aug 28, 2019 at 11:08 AM
Comment #9Scrolling back through 2009’s been interesting and nothing’s changed.
RobLeenio
Aug 28, 2019 at 11:11 AM
Comment #10I was going to take the kids to this game, attendance is not a money spinner for the club, cheap tickets, would buy nothing in the ground and was an opportunity to keep the kids connected with the club. Sadly we have visitors from darn sarf so it’s out the window.
The fella is a footy fan though so if we can stream it I’ll watch it online.
Not quite the same…
Hopefully we win and get a home draw for the next round. Not counting my chickens, but I think all results are possible tonight.
martoon
Aug 28, 2019 at 11:12 AM
Comment #11posada if you mean Magpie Mover you can only use them for Premiership games!
davo
Aug 28, 2019 at 11:16 AM
Comment #12I’m hoping Bruce makes mass changes for tonight’s game, the lads put in a monumental shift on Sunday in 37c conditions and I’m sure pretty much all of them will be needed on the weekend. No sense in running them into the ground tonight IMO.
Also, I’ve a feeling M Longstaff will score just because mad shit happens.
HWTL
posada
Aug 28, 2019 at 11:27 AM
Comment #13Aye, Magpie Mover.
It is valid for cup games as well.
Proper bargain !
Mindshaft
Aug 28, 2019 at 11:39 AM
Comment #14Scrolling back to 2007 and I was posting shite even then 🙂
Steve
Sep 21, 2007 at 2:23 PM
Comment #10
hmmm – looks like Oba’s out in the cold as Sam continues with his big man little man strike force, presumably he’ll be off in Jan transfer window as he isn’t going to happy keeping the bench warm nor having Ameobi picked ahead of him.
I’d like to know what he was thinking when he was watching Shola on monday – he must be very depressed at playing second fiddle to him and Owen
Some things never change 🙂
Essex Geordie Bill
Aug 28, 2019 at 11:43 AM
Comment #15Was wondering if W might have been me but after looking at the writing style I don’t think it was. I do recognise many of the names and the subject matter so may well have been following the blog but not commenting.
Essex Geordie Bill
Aug 28, 2019 at 11:45 AM
Comment #16I’d like to see Saivet get a game, never let us down when he has played.
Matty is a certainty to start imo.
martoon
Aug 28, 2019 at 11:45 AM
Comment #17posada Aye you’re right. They must have changed it because in previous seasons you couldn’t use them for cup ties. They are good value and you can use them 3 hours before and after a game so we often stay in town for a bit.
RobLeenio
Aug 28, 2019 at 11:48 AM
Comment #18Davo, there’s good and bad in making mass changes, I guess. Palace and Norwich went too far last night and got rolled over by League 2 opponents.
We need to be competitive, it’s important for the fragile egos of the squad and the management. At the same time, fatigue is a real risk, at all times but especially after the weekend match our lads had.
I remember a debate I had when Longstaff was injured – I said that the biggest factor was likely over-enthusiasm in a match where he’d been hyped vs Declan Rice and feeling the need to throw himself into a challenge he normally wouldn’t have done. Someone (Mr Tuff maybe – apologies to whoever it was if not) put up a really good argument for fatigue being a big factor in injuries and supported it with some excellent scholarly articles.
So, I agree with you, but also I don’t, if you get my drift.
This is the kind of call a good manager has to make and gets mostly right, so all eyes will be on the decisions Bruce makes this evening. Heaven help him if he gets it badly wrong.
catchy in norway
Aug 28, 2019 at 11:55 AM
Comment #19Anyone got the questionnaire from Nufc today,
Nothing football,
Are you gay
Your colour
Your religion
Your age.
Your gender at birth
Loads of stupid questions.
I hate it when they try this shat, try and put you i to a pigion hole,
All they need to know is I like football, and Nufc is the team I support.
toon22
Aug 28, 2019 at 11:56 AM
Comment #20NY
Until he gets a gravatar it’s plausible
toon22
Aug 28, 2019 at 11:57 AM
Comment #21Catchy
😉
#BoycottAshley ( OP)
Aug 28, 2019 at 12:03 PM
Comment #22NY
Are those clubs outgoings and debt as large as ours?
Asi Fish
Aug 28, 2019 at 12:05 PM
Comment #23Rob – fully agree there. I just hope SB gets it right tonight and doesn’t pull another ASM error in haste.
Not on tv, can’t stream out here…………man i would have loved to have gone tonight.
Thanks for the Blyth info by the way – the only positive ones ha ha
🙂
RobLeenio
Aug 28, 2019 at 12:06 PM
Comment #24catchy I have it too. It’s the kind of survey they have to carry out for inclusivity purposes. In order to make the club more attractive to all folk from all backgrounds, they have to know who they are currently attracting.
It’s a positive thing, not a negative.
Unless you’d rather that the club wasn’t embracing folk from all backgrounds, of course.
RobLeenio
Aug 28, 2019 at 12:12 PM
Comment #25Asi Fish, no worries, matey. I just wonder what Good Luck Chuck will make of it when you drag him over and bundle him in the cellar for the rest of his natural life.
You are doing this, right? Otherwise there’s no hope for the future.
It’s OK, we won’t tell anyone…..
😉
Essex Geordie Bill
Aug 28, 2019 at 12:42 PM
Comment #26I do remember saying how pleased I was at Big Sams appointment as i thought he had a good scientific approach to training and treatment methods. Ice baths etc. 🙂
Towards the end of his reign I must have been pretty scathing of him and I recall that Valle (fairly sure it was him) dug out my comment to criticise me, which was fair enough.
So I was definitely commenting at the time!
Essex Geordie Bill
Aug 28, 2019 at 12:53 PM
Comment #27toon22
You did see The Wife’s reply re. Avatars, Ed has never said they must be used he has only recommended their use!