The Athletic’s Newcastle United correspondent Chris Waugh has recently discussed the future of English midfielder Sean Longstaff.
Since making his Premier League debut for the Toon in December 2018, the 23-year-old middleman has gone on to make 37 appearances for Newcastle in the top flight (per Transfermarkt).
In all competitions, Longstaff has made 50 appearances for United, in which he has managed to score four and provide three assists for teammates.
Currently, the Englishman has until the summer of 2022 left on his contract at St. James’ Park and a market value of £15.75m, according to Transfermarkt.
During the latest episode of The Athletic’s Pod On The Tyne podcast, Waugh discussed Longstaff and his future with the Toon.
He said: “I do think this is an important season for him, his contract’s up in 2022, there have been conversations with him about a new deal.
“I think that they may start to begin soon, but obviously, he came on the scene in 2018 and for the first half of 2019, he was excellent before he got injured and really a breath of fresh air.
“[He was] excellent at being that deep-lying but progressive midfielder and we just haven’t really seen the same Sean Longstaff ever since. He hasn’t reached those levels again.
“Steve Bruce definitely has contemplated playing him as a number 10, playing him a little bit higher up the pitch – again, that depends on what formation Newcastle are playing.
“So, I think that there is an idea that maybe, in the short-to-medium term, his future may lie slightly higher up the pitch, given a bit more of a free role, not so much of a controlling midfielder.”
TIF Thoughts on what Chris Waugh said about Sean Longstaff…
As can be seen in what the journalist had to say, he believes that contract talks to extend Longstaff’s deal may be beginning in the not-too-distant future and he may also be moved further up the pitch.
Would you like to see Sean Longstaff playing higher up the pitch?
No, he's not good enough
Yes, he's a talented player
So far this season, Longstaff only ranks eighth in terms of key passes made per Premier League game in the Toon’s squad as he has made 0.6 (per WhoScored).
Furthermore, over his five league outings, he has made the fifth-lowest number of passes per game as he has made only 16 passes per match on average.
So, while he may be more creative in a role which is further up the pitch than he has been playing, the stats do not bode well for the midfielder playing in an advanced position.