In my most recent articles I have focused on the negatives regarding both our Head Coach and current Owner, so despite the biggest story of the week in the North East being the CAT case that was streamed in the public eye relating to the PIF and their proposed takeover of Newcastle United, I felt for my own sanity to focus on the positives (despite those being limited so far this season).
All the praise these last six weeks have been for our lovable and charismatic Frenchman that is Allan Saint-Maximin, and rightly so. He's been by far our most influential player this season and has given us edge of the seat moments we live for. However dissecting the performances over these last few weeks, I've been impressed by one of our own in Sean Longstaff. A player who burst onto the scene under Rafa Benitez and impressed the faithful with his vision, calmness on the ball and commitment to the cause with his work rate. When he made the jump to the senior outfit, he put in fine performances in his first two appearances back in 2019 against Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers, and rewarded himself with a goal against Blackburn in the FA Cup. He proved he could be that pivotal man in the middle of the park and was given the responsibility against Champions Manchester City. He did not disappoint and it was he who won the decisive penalty to take all three points and put Newcastle in a secure position in the table. He even received praise from Pep Guardiola himself that evening. Four weeks later Sean gets his first Premier League goal against Burnley and receives the Man of the Match award for his efforts. It all looked great and there were those in the media comparing Sean with the very eminent Michael Carrick.
Summer 2019 was eventful for Sean, he came back from a bad knee ligament injury which he picked up in March and was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United. There was talk the Red Devils were willing to offer £40 Million for the young lad. Newcastle did not pursue this and felt with younger brother Matty also breaking into the senior squad, there was potential for both Longstaff's to only get better and in the club's eyes gain more value. It was Matty who took the plaudits that season and we saw a Sean Longstaff that didn't look confident, fragile and didn't have that eye for a pass we though he possessed. It was a really disappointing season for Sean and it was an even more disheartening campaign last year scoring no goals and being overlooked with both Jonjo Shelvey and Jeff Hendrick getting the nod when available. Was it simply Rafa's coaching that enabled Sean to shine, or was it the links away and the bad knee injury he picked up that halted his progression. I'm hoping for Sean and Newcastle it was the latter.
This season he's featured in every competitive fixture and looked a lot more confident on the ball. Jonjo Shelvey's injury may have given Sean the opportunity, but we look a better team with him in it and he proved this by scoring a very good goal against Watford in our 1-1 draw last Saturday. I've always felt if he goes back to basics with his passing and show willingness to run from box-to-box, he can solidify his position and hopefully go back to his old-self which we saw a few years ago. It's still too early to call but I believe he still has a big future and maybe under a different coaching direction, he can reach his full potential.