Newcastle manager Steve Bruce made a major decision in the last couple of days of the transfer window, with the Magpies boss electing to keep hold of midfield duo Sean and Matty Longstaff despite interest in the brothers.
The Magpies had been busy in the final days and hours of the transfer window trying to add to their options in midfield, and Bruce managed to secure the arrival of Arsenal’s Joe Willock on loan for the rest of the season. The 21-year-old got off to a flying start on his debut on Saturday against Southampton, scoring one goal as well as winning five tackles and making two interceptions (Sofascore).
However, with Newcastle already well-stocked in midfield with the likes of Jonjo Shelvey, Isaac Hayden, Jeff Hendrick and Elliot Anderson in the squad as well as the Longstaff duo, it seemed that Bruce would be left with at least a couple of players not contributing much to the rest of the campaign. That certainly seemed the case when both Longstaff brothers were left out of the squad against Southampton.
Both players were of interest to Championship promotion chasers Watford in the last few days of the January transfer window. The Hornets enquired about the possibility of taking Matty Longstaff on loan for the rest of the campaign, but Newcastle were keen to keep hold of him. They also asked about Sean Longstaff’s availability but he wanted to remain at St James’ Park.
Against Southampton on Saturday, injuries to both Jamal Lascelles and Federico Fernandez meant that Hayden was required to fill in at centre-back. Those issues were worsened still by Fabian Schar’s injury on the day, which he has now confirmed will keep him out for a few months at least.
It is now likely that Hayden will have to play as a centre-back for at least the next few weeks, taking out of the midfield. Bruce’s options will be further stretched against Chelsea next time out by the suspension to Hendrick, who was shown a red card against Southampton for two bookable offences.
Bruce lamented the incident which prompted the Irishman’s dismissal as a “silly foul” and it compounded what has been a difficult start to life at St James’ Park for the 29-year-old. Hendrick has come under fire from numerous supporters for his lack of impact on games and there have been question marks over why he is a regular in the team.
His impending ban presents either Matty or Sean Longstaff with a chance to come back into the team and stake a claim to make the position their own moving forwards, and it now looks like a wise decision to have kept both at the club, with options in the middle of the park already looking much shorter than they did just a week ago.
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It did seem questionable at the time not to have allowed at least one of the Longstaff brothers to leave Newcastle on loan in January. However, it now seems that their presence will be needed in the squad at least for the next few weeks until the injury and suspension issues have been calmed.
Either of the two could come into the side against Chelsea, and if they were to produce a strong performance, they could yet go on to play a major role in the team for the rest of the season.
