‘Excited’ - Newcastle United Champions League injury return hint fans will love after Sandro Tonali blow

Longstaff has enjoyed a fine start to the season at Newcastle with three goals going into Wednesday’s Champions League group stage match against Borussia Dortmund. Ahead of the game, Joe Willock was spotted back in training after five months out with a hamstring and subsequent Achilles injury.

Willock’s return to fitness is a timely one with £52million summer signing Sandro Tonali facing a potential lengthy ban from football for alleged illegal betting.

And Longstaff believes the Magpies’ midfield is well equipped to deal with the situation, whatever the verdict regarding Tonali.

“Yeah of course, we obviously don't know what the outcome of the stuff with Sandro is yet,” he said in a pre-match press conference. “We've got Joe Willock coming back, Joelinton is back fit and Elliot [Anderson] has stepped up massively.

“We've got a little superstar in Lewis Miley coming through as well who I absolutely love. Hopefully he can get a few minutes as well but the big one coming back is Joe Willock.”

Willock was a regular in the Newcastle side that finished fourth in the Premier League last season, scoring three goals in 35 league appearances. And Longstaff couldn’t understate the 24-year-old’s importance to the side.

“I could sit here all day and tell you how good he is,” Longstaff added. “Even watching him in training this week, it looks like he's not missed a minute.

“If anything, I'm just really excited to have Willy back. We know how important he is for us, I think the team plays its best when he plays, he's able to drift and no one can do what he does on our team in terms of the way he moves with the ball and how confident he is with it.

“More than anything, I'm really excited to have him back and show what he can do on this [Champions League] stage as well.”

Willock has made 21 appearances in the Europa League during his time at Arsenal but is still waiting to make his bow in the Champions League.