Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff will miss the rest of the season with a knee ligament injury, the club have confirmed.
The promising midfielder was hurt in a challenge with Robert Snodgrass in last weekend’s defeat against West Ham and was brought off at half-time.
His impressive performances at Newcastle caught the attention of the England management and he was pushing for a place in squad for the upcoming European Championship qualifiers.
The academy graduate had taken advantage of injuries in midfield and was shortlisted for the Premier League player of the Month for February after an impressive spell of matches having broken into the first team.
Rafa Benitez said a long injury is tough on the 21-year-old. “I think for anyone to have an injury is bad news. But for a young player who was doing so well, it's even worse," the Magpies manager told the Chronicle.
Longstaff made the first of his first Premier League start against Chelsea in January to ignite a run of seven starts, with goals against Burnley and Blackburn.
His form was said to even catch the attention of England manager Gareth Southgate, and Benitez said he deserved his first senior cap. “Sean wouldn’t look out of place with England, there are not too many young English players with his quality,” Benítez said in late February.
“I think he will go, he’s doing well and playing in the Premier League. I like to see my players going to the national team. I don’t care if it’s the Under-20s, Under-21s or even the senior side but I think he needs to go one step at a time. If we start talking too much about how well it’s doing, it’s a risk.”
