Newcastle boss Steve Bruce has confirmed that midfielder Sean Longstaff is set to miss the clash with Liverpool at Anfield this weekend.
Twitter: ? Steve Bruce has been speaking to the media this morning and revealed midfielder Sean Longstaff will miss Newcastl… https://t.co/v2wGrZUcHr (@NUFC)
Longstaff is said to have injured his ankle in training earlier this week, meaning that he is unable to feature against the European Champions.
READ NEWCASTLE VERDICT
Who should replace him in midfield?
The ideal choice is Ki Sung Yeung. Although there are sure to be calls for Jonjo Shelvey to take his place alongside Isaac Hayden, Ki offers more defensive stability in the middle of the park to counter the threats posed by Liverpool’s attack.
Shelvey is prone to ball watching and is often lapse defensively, allowing midfielders to run off him and leave huge gaps between defence and attack for Newcastle.
Whilst Ki is not a defensive midfielder by trade, and certainly not perfect by any means, he is a safer option than Shelvey. He could form a solid base next to Hayden, and is more composed in his passing – allowing Newcastle to keep hold of the ball and alleviate some pressure. This is opposed to Shelvey’s constant first time balls over the top, which can sometimes come off but could be ineffective against Liverpool’s excellent defensive unit.
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