Since Eddie Howe has walked through the door at Newcastle United, the improvement of certain individuals has been apparent. Joelinton stole the headlines with his dominant performances in midfield, which led to the Brazilian receiving the club's player of the year award last season. A player who was brought in to lead the line up top, ended up becoming an enforcer in the middle of the park under Eddie's foresight and coaching. He became a box-to-box central midfielder and couldn't look more comfortable in that position. Another player who received accolade towards the end of the season was Swedish International Emil Krafth. He was voted as the 'Unsung Hero' among his peers and showed incredible improvement in the latter stages of the campaign. Although arguably these two have been the stand out improved players from last season, it's fair to say that they were not alone in that category who improved under Eddie Howe's direction.
One player who started so well in the black & white under Rafa Benitez back in 2018 was local boy Sean Longstaff. The 20 year old looked the real deal and was being tipped to be the next Michael Carrick. So much so Manchester United offered a staggering £40 Million for the lad from North Shields in 2019. After impressive displays in the 18/19 season there were strong predictions and hope that Newcastle United had a real prospect on their hands. Unfortunately for Sean, after Rafa Benitez departed and Manchester United submitted their interest, he hasn't looked the same player since. Sean also suffered a serious knee ligament injury which side-lined him for a significant period of time that same season. Sean has all the attributes you would look for in a central midfielder; athletic, good physique and stature, has an element of grit to his game and his strongest attribute, despite now showcasing it on a consistent basis is his striking ability of the football. There's evidence of the young man possessing great range in his passing and his technical ability when hitting that ball. He's a player that does have those natural feet, but does need to provide those skills on a consistent basis.
There is strong faith in Eddie that he can get the best out of the 24 year old, and allow Sean to play a big part next season. With the management and board focusing on the top end of the pitch acquisitions, and already improving the back line with the arrivals of Nick Pope, Sven Botman and Matt Targett, it seems Eddie is happy with who is occupying the middle of the pitch. With Joelinton and Bruno Guimarães being the first two on the team sheet in those positions, it looks as if it will either be Jonjo Shelvey, Joe Willock or Sean himself slotting alongside the two Brazilians. There's a case that despite the improvement of Jonjo Shelvey in the New year, he doesn't quite have the athleticism to compete in that area. Joe Willock does, but another argument could be that he's a better proposition further up the field. If Eddie is to work and apply focus on Sean this summer and pre-season, Newcastle United could have that Michael Carrickesque player who can play those passes into the final-third and carry that rare ability to keep possession of the ball.
It's a big season ahead for Sean Longstaff as he has the potential to make that statement in a constant evolving side.
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