Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce could see his squad reduced in January, with midfielder Matty Longstaff reportedly keen to secure a loan exit from St James’ Park.
For most of the campaign, the youngster been forced to watch on, with Bruce maintaining faith in the likes of Jonjo Shelvey, Isaac Hayden, Sean Longstaff and Jeff Hendrick. The 20-year-old had managed to make just one substitute appearance in the Magpies’ opening 13 Premier League games before being thrown into the starting line-up for the defeat at Manchester City.
The midfielder eventually signed a new two-year deal in the summer as the Magpies avoided losing him to Udinese on a free transfer, with the Italian side having been keen to bring him to Serie A. However, Longstaff was forced to settle for a bit-part role for the first few weeks of this season, even when there were injuries to Shelvey and other issues within the squad.
The 20-year-old has been linked with a potential loan exit to Championship strugglers Nottingham Forest and Derby County. However, Bruce suggested that he wanted to see whether the midfielder could make more of an impact before sanctioning any move. It has now emerged that Longstaff is keen on making a temporary move away in January, per The Sun (27/12/2020, p56), via Nothing But Newcastle.
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Losing Longstaff from their squad in January would be a major blow for Newcastle, especially considering the amount of issues they have over the last few weeks with players being unavailable for various reasons. Having started and impressed against Manchester City, he may have convinced Bruce of his worth to the Newcastle squad just before the window opens.
However, Bruce had offered him hardly any minutes in the Premier League before Saturday and you could understand Longstaff seeking a guarantee of regular time on the pitch. The 20-year-old needs to start getting a run of games together to develop and reach his potential and, if he were to demand a loan exit, it would be all on Bruce.
Derby and Nottingham Forest, both at the wrong end of the Championship, may be desperate for the qualities which Longstaff possesses and he would likely be a hugely influential figure for them were he to move to either club in January. Losing him would be another blow for Bruce, but it would be one of his own making for not showing more faith in the youngster.
