Eddie Howe's Newcastle United midfield options bolstered after midfielder is recalled from loan spell at Aberdeen

Longstaff will now return to Newcastle United and will bolster the midfield options available to Eddie Howe, who will be keen to take a closer look at the midfielder in training.

The 21-year-old midfielder made just five appearances for Aberdeen on loan after signing last summer.

Dons boss Stephen Glass has confirmed the loan spell has been cut short.

"He’s gone back after the break was moved forward," Glass said.

"They pulled him back. He’d been injured in the last two or three weeks to be fair."

"Matty’s gone back to Newcastle," Glass added.

"They probably want to get him involved.

"There’s a new manager there who will want to take a look at him.

"We wish him all the best. He’s been brilliant around the place and I think he’s enjoyed his time here."

Meanwhile, Howe admits every day of January will matter as Newcastle attempt to bolster their squad for a tooth-and-nail Premier League relegation fight over the second half of the season.

The Magpies will hope to flex their newly acquired financial muscle when the transfer window opens on January 1, with Amanda Staveley’s Saudi-backed consortium looking to significantly strengthen the squad they inherited after almost 14 years of relatively meagre investment under previous owner Mike Ashley.

However, that may prove easier said than done as they try to land the calibre of player they want with their plight so precarious, and head coach Howe is under no illusions that his hopes of doing business quickly lie out of his hands.

He said: “Of course ideally you’d want to utilise every day that you have. Certainly, from our perspective, we know we’re in a hurry, we’re not sat back thinking we’ve got all the time in the world.

“That’s not where we are in our current position. Every day matters.

“In saying that, you don’t control a lot of those factors, the players and the clubs and sometimes the agents control the speed of things.

“We’re well aware of what we need to do, but as I say, doing it is another thing and it’s very complex.”

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