England under-21 manager Aidy Boothroyd is keeping tabs on Newcastle midfielder Matty Longstaff following his winning goal against Manchester United.
Boothroyd is eyeing up Longstaff for a potential call-up in the future, but believes he is not quite ready as of this moment in time.
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Reading midfielder Omar Richards was called up ahead of him, after injuries to Todd Cantwell and Trevor Chalobah.
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Would it have been too soon?
Yes. Longstaff only made his Premier League debut last weekend and, despite him producing an excellent performance, he needs more game-time under his belt.
To reward him with an England call-up so soon after making his league debut would almost feel too easy. Often young footballers are handed things without having to work for them, so giving Longstaff something to work towards and strive for can only help his motivation and potentially improve his game.
Steve Bruce will now have to trust the Longstaff brothers and use them as his first-choice central midfield pairing in the Premier League if they are to stand any chance of getting an England call.
