Sean Longstaff admits it was 'quite sad' to see his brother Matty be released by Newcastle United but has backed the midfielder to once again prove he is a 'top player' elsewhere. The academy graduate was one of the headline departures from the Magpies' retained list, with the club deciding against offering the 23-year-old a new contract.
Matty enjoyed a memorable Premier League debut, netting the winner in front of the Gallowgate End against Manchester United after starting alongside his brother Sean in October 2019. Following a lengthy contract stand-off, the younger Longstaff brother agreed a new two-year deal the following summer and was handed the number four shirt.
However, first-team opportunities proved to be limited and the midfielder endured mixed success on loan at Aberdeen and Mansfield Town. Newcastle confirmed a one-year extension had been agreed prior to his latest loan with Colchester United, but this spell was brought to a premature end after he suffered a serious knee injury in the Boxing Day win over Gillingham.
Matty has not played since, and will continue his rehabilitation with the Magpies as he looks to earn a contract elsewhere. Sean has gone on to establish himself as a first-team regular under Eddie Howe, and he has praised the head coach and sporting director Dan Ashworth for the manner in which they have handled his brother's release.
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Sean told BBC Newcastle: "It's quite sad really, especially when the news broke. It's sad, but it is football and he'll eventually get to where he's going to be because he's a top, top player. People have seen that when he did play.
"We've played football together pretty much in the same team since we were nine-years-old, so we've had a pretty good run at it. I'll still speak to him all the time, he'll still be supporting me and I'll still be supporting him.
"The club have been great with him, especially the manager and Dan [Ashworth], they have done everything they can and they're going to get him back fully fit so when he is fit, he can go out and kick on. I'm really grateful for that, I know he is as well.
"It's something that was going to happen eventually, we've just got to try and enjoy football together while we can."
