Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe is being tipped to drop Sean Longstaff once Jonjo Shelvey is available again.
Although Longstaff has performed well in Shelvey’s absence, journalist Andrew Musgrove has suggested that Howe will revert to using the former Liverpool man as a starter again as he nears a return to fitness.
“You’ve got Shelvey now back on the bench, I think when he is back and that will hopefully come before the World Cup break, and if everyone else is fit, I personally, unless Sean Longstaff steps up in the next couple of games, I don’t think he’s even in the discussion about who the first-choice midfield three are,” Musgrove told the Everything is Black and White podcast.
Some Newcastle fans won’t be too pleased with this, but Shelvey is the superior player when he’s on form, even if Longstaff has also shown himself to be a valuable member of Howe’s squad.