Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff is good enough to play for England, according to former Toon boss Rafa Benitez.
The Spaniard gave the 21-year-old his first-team debut last season, and oversaw a remarkable period of progression that ensured the academy product became an integral player for United.
And Benitez believes that he can keep on getting better.
Writing during a Q&A for The Athletic, he said: “What impressed me the most was his commitment, he was very keen to learn, and everything that you were saying to him he was trying to replicate on the pitch.
“We knew that he was playing more offensive and then he could score goals from the edge of the box, but his understanding of the game and his work-rate means that we could use him as one of two holding midfielders.
“I think that he was good for us in the end and he has a very good future ahead of him. I think he has the potential to play for England but we have to be careful when we talk too much about players and the national team.”
How important is Longstaff for Newcastle?
The most remarkable thing about Sean Longstaff’s breakout campaign for Newcastle was that he only actually played nine times in the Premier League before picking up the injury that would ultimately end his season.
The fact that he had such a profound effect in just nine matches should speak volumes as to how talented the youngster is, but if there were any doubts, his stats put them to bed.
From an average of 32.6 passes per game last term, he managed a completion rate of 80.9%, as per Whoscored. Impressively, 3.3 of those passes were successful long balls, showing an eye-catching and effective range of passing that allowed the Toon Army to invite teams into pressurised areas before springing them with an incisive ball over the top or into space.
When you then factor in that Longstaff was dispossessed just 0.7 times per match last season, as per Whoscored, you begin to see a portrait of a tidy, efficient player with the interests of the team at heart.
Already this term he has managed to get his dispossession rate down to just 0.3 times per game, and if he can stay fit and firing, this promises to be a very important campaign for the starlet.
Can he play for England?
On the basis of what he has shown so far, there is certainly nothing to suggest that Longstaff couldn’t be a contender for a spot in Gareth Southgate’s plans sometime soon.
As a point of comparison, Harry Winks of Tottenham, Longstaff’s opponents last Sunday, has won three caps during Southgate’s tenure.
Last season, while his pass completion rate might have outstripped Longstaff’s by just under 11%, Winks actually failed to beat the Toon star in terms of key passes, successful long balls, and even his overall Whoscored rating.
If Winks is of a standard whereby Southgate views him as a player he wants in his squad, and if Longstaff is matching him in several key areas, then there is no reason to suggest that he cannot make it for the Three Lions.
