Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has again waxed lyrical over his 'unsung hero' Sean Longstaff, hinting the midfield man could make a swift return to the starting XI against Tottenham this weekend.
The academy graduate started on the bench in the 3-0 humbling at Aston Villa after struggling with a bout of tonsillitis in the run up to the clash. Longstaff's energy and tenacity was a big miss in the middle of the park during the defeat, with Howe admitting as much at full-time.
The Toon boss was again keen to praise Longstaff before this weekend's huge top four clash with Tottenham, with a return to the starting XI potentially on the cards at St James' Park this weekend.
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"He's over his illness and he's trained well this week," Howe said. "I've always maintained he's a hugely important part of our midfield. Both in and out of possession he's a very intelligent footballer so I think a lot of his off the ball work goes unnoticed.
"On the ball he's got a really good way of keeping the ball for the team which is an invaluable quality. He's got an eye for a really progressive pass as well so he helps us go through teams' structures."
Howe has decisions to make elsewhere with calls growing for a slight change at the back. The Newcastle head coach was quizzed over a potential return for Matt Targett, in place of Dan Burn, but refused to reveal his plans.
Miguel Almiron has trained this week after coming through his Aston Villa cameo unscathed. However, Allan Saint-Maximin is still in France recovering from a hamstring issue.
There hasn't been a setback but it's taken a bit longer than we hoped," Howe said of the Frenchman. "No major setback but with hamstring injuries you must be careful."
