Steve Bruce reveals why he handed Matty Longstaff a start for Newcastle United

Steve Bruce says Matty Longstaff earned his first Newcastle United start while in China.
Matty Longstaff.Matty Longstaff.
Matty Longstaff.

The midfielder, the younger sibling of Sean, was handed a surprise start in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Preston North End at Deepdale.

Longstaff had come off the bench in the club's two Premier League Asia Trophy games against West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers in Shanghai and Nanjing. Bruce, the club’s new head coach, was impressed with the 19-year-old’s attitude and application in training.

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“He had a great tour in China,” said Bruce, whose side take on Scottish Premiership side Hibernian at Easter Road tomorrow night. “I was impressed with the way he trained. I’ve been impressed with the way he’s gone about his work since I’ve been at the club. I thought it would be good for him to get a start, and I thought he did very, very well in the first half.”