Why Newcastle United should offer Matty Longstaff a new contract
According to Chronicle Live, former English international Alan Shearer has urged Newcastle United to hand Matty Longstaff a new contract.
The report suggests that Longstaff, whose contract with Newcastle comes to an end this summer, has been linked with moves to Inter Milan and AC Milan for free. Despite ongoing talks, no extension has been agreed (h/t Chronicle Live).
Longstaff, 19, who came through the club’s youth ranks, was promoted to the first-team last summer. He made his senior debut against Leicester City in the EFL Cup earlier this season, playing the full 90 minutes.
On his Premier League debut, Longstaff scored the only goal that helped Newcastle defeat Manchester United. He also scored the opening goal in the reverse fixture, which ended in a 4-1 loss. Over the past few seasons, he has been a regular for the club’s U18 and U23 squads.
While speaking to BBC, Shearer praised the youngster and believes that Longstaff has shown enough potential, urging Newcastle to do everything to keep hold of him, as per the report.
Meanwhile, the Magpies have endured a mixed season so far. They haven’t lost a league match since the 3-0 defeat at home to Leicester City on New Year’s Day and are currently in 12th position in the league table.
In order to strengthen the midfield, Steve Bruce brought in Nabil Bentaleb and Valentino Lazaro, both on loan till the end of the campaign. Danny Rose was also signed on loan from Tottenham as cover for their injured left-backs.
However, the Magpies have limited defensive midfielders. Matty Longstaff and Jack Colback are the only two players available in this position. And the former has not featured in a single game this term due to a knee injury. Therefore, handing Longstaff a new contract would be an ideal move by the club.
The 19-year-old has featured in 12 games this season across all competitions, having scored 3 goals, and has been brilliant whenever he has been called up to the squad.
Longstaff has successfully recovered the ball 37 times and has made 3 tackles in 7 Premier League games. He has a 33% successful tackle rate, as per Premier League’s official website. His impressive performances this season also earned him a call-up to the England U20 squad and he made his debut against Portugal U20 in the European Elite League Cup.
Read more
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Verdict
Longstaff has worked his way into the first-team and has been quite impressive this season. Therefore, Newcastle United must pay attention to Shearer’s words and tie down the homegrown player with a new contract.
