Newcastle United v Everton Premier League Matthew Longstaff of Newcastle United before the Premier League match at St. James s Park, Newcastle PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUKxCHN Copyright: xRobertxSmithx FIL-14002-0005
According to The Sunday Mirror (h/t The Shields Gazette), Derby County could make a move for Newcastle starlet Matty Longstaff. Former Newcastle boss Steve McClaren, who is the technical director at Derby, wants to use his connections to secure a short-term loan deal for the youngster.
A Newcastle academy product, the 20-year-old Longstaff has been a part of their first-team since 2019. Meanwhile, Longstaff, who played for Newcastle’s under-23 side, was promoted to the first-team setup just last summer. The local lad was an instant hit among the fans after he helped Newcastle secure a win against rivals Manchester United by scoring the only goal of the match in October 2019.
Since then, he has featured in eight more matches for the Magpies in the Premier League, scoring once again in their away fixture against United. Though Newcastle lost that match 4-1, Longstaff put in a fine performance in the midfield and showcased his ability to attack and score goals despite playing as a defensive midfielder.
His excellent displays in the midfield saw him feature five times in the FA Cup and once in the EFL Cup in his breakthrough season for his boyhood club. To date, he has appeared a total of 16 times for Newcastle across all competitions and has three goals to his name, proving that he is a clear talent.
It would be an understatement to say that Derby are in a bit of a crisis. The club are languishing in 24th place in the Championship, recently sacked Phillip Cocu and appointed Wayne Rooney on an interim basis. For a club that has finished in the top half of the table in their last 9 seasons, it clearly does not look good.
They look like they could use a fresh injection of new and young players, perhaps someone like Matty Longstaff. The talented youngster has been on the fringes of the first-team at Newcastle this season and could use a move away.
In the limited time he has played for the first-team, he has shown that he can cut it with the best there is. Capable of playing as a defensive or a box-to-box midfielder, he could be a useful asset for the Rams. Yes, they look well stocked in those departments but Longstaff would be a young and fresh addition to a struggling side. A short-term loan deal would be mutually beneficial.
