There was a tinge of guilt among the celebrations when Sean Longstaff bagged his second goal against Southampton. The widely-accepted view is that Eddie Howe has transformed several players who were previously ostracised at Newcastle United.
Joelinton, Fabian Schar and Miguel Almiron are all men reborn by the Toon boss despite almost finding themselves on the St James’ Park scrapheap under the previous regime. Howe has proven his worth as an elite-level coach by squeezing as much talent as possible out of players given to him when he first arrived.
Yes, the Public Investment Fund’s gazillions have supplemented the transformation but, in reality, Newcastle are not even out of second gear on the transfer spending front. This trio, in particular, have earned the most praise for their Tyneside rejuvenation.
But a certain Mr Longstaff was rarely included on that list.
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Rafa Benitez saw potential in the North Shields native in December 2018, handing him his Premier League debut against Liverpool. An exceptional performance in the 2-1 win over Manchester City - his seventh game for Newcastle - had supporters believing Longstaff was a future England international.
A knee injury would soon rule him out for the rest of the season but Manchester United still expressed interest in the summer. However, once Benitez left, fans rarely witnessed that Longstaff again…
Inconsistent form under Steve Bruce saw the Geordie lose his way - and suffer mentally as a result. Speculation regarding his future also emerged as Longstaff’s career hit a crossroads.
"My dad was there for us (him and brother Matty) at that time,” he said, speaking about his difficult patch shortly after the takeover. “Sometimes you just need a big hug. It was probably the day which turned everything around for me.
"I'd say I'm always quite stubborn. But I knew that day when I spoke to my dad and Matty, it stripped everything back. They're the most honest people. It was just us in the room. My brother left and I spoke to my dad for ten minutes. That was as close to rock bottom as I've been.
"It was that day, actually, that Matt Ritchie – out of the blue – sent us a message and said, 'do this – you need to speak to him (a psychologist)'. I was able to build from that. It's just built, built, built over time. Little building blocks. Getting back in the squad for a game, getting back in the team. It's all been little building blocks."
Longstaff could now create a skyscraper with those blocks as he has become a key staple of Howe’s side. It may only be February, the midfielder has more minutes per 90 (totalling 16.7 games) than any other season since turning professional.
Newcastle’s new-found “our identity is intensity” approach suits Longstaff to a tee. The 25-year-old has also made more blocks (27) than in previous campaigns and boasts a higher percentage (48.7%) of aerial duels won. Longstaff was dribbled past (65) twice as many times as he has been this season (31), despite playing just 41 minutes more.
From an attacking standpoint, his numbers have also improved. While his goalscoring or assist contributions are not great, Longstaff has 228 touches in opposition third, compared to 137 just in 2021-22 - including almost three times as many (40) in the opposition penalty area.
The statistics also show Longstaff is creating 2.45 actions per game. This is recorded as either a pass, dribble or pressure that leads to an attempt on goal. The only time he has averaged above 1.85 per game was during the 2019-20 season.
Make no mistake, Howe and his team will be aware of these figures which is why Longstaff, often against the wishes of supporters, has been a mainstay in his side. Hailing from the area can often place extra scrutiny on a Toon player but, when the going gets good, those rewards are multiplied tenfold.
The academy product realised millions of Newcastle supporters’ dreams by scoring the goals to book his boyhood club a place at Wembley. Later this month, Longstaff, alongside Dan Burn, will get the chance to do what no Geordie has done since 1955 and win domestic silverware.
Persevering with the youngster who looked a class above under Benitez finally paid off on Tuesday when Longstaff cemented his status as Howe’s latest success story on Tyneside.
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