Manchester United are becoming increasingly confident of signing Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff this summer – but are the Magpies right to sell the youngster?
A report in the Mirror today suggests that the Red Devils are close to sealing a £25 million deal for the 21-year-old, who only made his Premier League debut on Boxing Day last year.
It would be a blow for the Magpies should Longstaff’s move to Old Trafford go ahead.
They would be losing a player that has come through their academy before getting any of the benefits of their hard work with him over the years.
While it looks likely that he will be moving on, Newcastle should be doing everything they can to convince him to stay for at least another year.
He does, after all, have three years remaining on his contract, putting them in a strong position to keep hold of him.
It’s not as though staying in the North East would harm Longstaff either.
Newcastle is a club he is comfortable at, and, based on last season, will give him plenty of opportunities to play and develop his game.
For a young player who has only made nine appearances in England’s top flight, the chance to get regular first-team minutes and find his feet at the top level is not something that should be given up easily.
His coaches and advisors should be pointing that out to him, and also raising the question whether now is the right time to move.
He’s had a good start to life in the Newcastle line-up and has received a lot of praise, but he shouldn’t get ahead of himself and a move to a Manchester United would bring all kinds of other pressures with it.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team are also in a strange situation. They are rebuilding after a poor season and are expected to improve, but there is no guarantee of that and should things continue to be as rocky as they have been, it may not be the best environment for Longstaff to progress and flourish.
Therefore, another year at St James’ Park may be the best thing for him. Newcastle are hoping to kick on in 2019/20, particularly if the potential takeover goes ahead.
What he can offer will help Newcastle do that and gaining more experience, hopefully under a world class coach like Rafa Benitez, won’t damage his career.
As it stands, it looks as though Newcastle have a fight on their hands to retain his services, but if they can manage to keep him there are definitely positives in that for both parties.
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