Eddie Howe is confident that Sean Longstaff will add goals to his game as Newcastle United's Champions League push gathers pace.
The 25-year-old midfielder has one goal to his name this term after scoring in the 4-1 win at Fulham and has also provided two assists for his team-mates. But his midfield duties this season have not just boiled down to his contributions in the final third.
Longstaff's tackling statistics and interception rate is up this season and the player is impressing with aerial battles. The midfielder picked up the Chronicle Live man of the match award in the 1-0 win over Fulham after a tireless display.
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Howe said: "Sean's been excellent. He does a lot of work, tireless work, for the team in every phase.
"We ask a lot of our midfield players, physically, and especially the wide ones. Sean has played that role on the right-hand side very intelligently and he's physically very good, tireless with his energy and defensively very good, improving all aspects of his game."
And speaking on what's to come offensively - with Longstaff getting on the scoresheet before Christmas in the 2-1 friendly win over Rayo Vallecano - Howe said: "I think there's goals in him as well and those will hopefully come in the future but, to this point, he's been a vital cog in our team. When you go back to where Sean was a year ago, there was a lot of uncertainty attached to his future.
"He's Newcastle through and through, desperate to be here but wanting to feel valued and wanted to see a path in his future career. What I did see was someone that was very committed and I believed could have an important part in our future."
Howe also feels that handing Longstaff a new deal last year was a big moment in the player's career. The situation went on until the latter stages of the season, but Howe said: "Getting the contract sorted was a really big thing and that show of faith and trust helped him feel closer in the group. This season, he hasn't looked back."
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