Leeds United have already completed 'outstanding' £15m transfer - player could feature v Newcastle United
Newcastle United v Leeds United: Sean Longstaff could make his return to St James’ Park for the first time since leaving Newcastle in the summer.
Sean Longstaff left his boyhood club Newcastle United to join Leeds United in the summer in a deal worth up to £15million.
The midfielder had just helped Newcastle win the Carabao Cup and qualify for the Champions League but had found regular first-team football hard to come by during his final six months on Tyneside.
Newcastle had triggered a one-year contract extension for Longstaff earlier that season to avoid losing him for nothing in the summer, instead cashing in on the academy graduate when Leeds made a suitable offer.
Longstaff quickly established himself as an important player in Leeds’ side as they bid to avoid relegation following promotion back to the Premier League.
Sean Longstaff injury latest
Since making his full league debut for Leeds against his former club Newcastle back in August, Longstaff started 10 successive matches for Daniel Farke’s side before dropping out due to injury.
Longstaff hasn’t featured for Leeds since November, but was an unused substitute in the 1-1 draw against Manchester United last time out. The 28-year-old is set to make the trip to St James’ Park on Wednesday evening (8:15pm kick-off), though Farke has played down the prospects of a start.
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“Sean, if I am honest, my plan was to involve him for the first time in the FA Cup game because he was out for slightly more than six weeks,” Farke said.
“Normally with a player like this after such an injury you like at least a full week of training. But Sean is such an important player for us, not just on the pitch but off the pitch with his personality in the dressing room.
“Particularly when other key players are unavailable, it becomes crucial. Currently, we're not conducting full team training, but he has participated and had a significant session today. We'll see who's available.”
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An ‘outstanding’ signing for Leeds United
Looking ahead to a potential reunion with Longstaff at St James’ Park this week, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe said: “Sean is an outstanding player. We were sad to lose him.
“He's a player that contributed massively to our success. Really enjoyed working with him. I think he really, really cares about the football club.
“His love for the club, I think, is really deep, having come through the youth system. When I first got to see him train and work with him, you saw the level of player and what he could be in our system. I think our system brought out the very best in him. I thought he executed it really well tactically and scored really important goals.
“Someone who really loves the game and understands the game tactically really well.
“I think we've missed him. But we wished him well and I think it was the right time for him to progress his career.