Newcastle United are hopeful of seeing Sean Longstaff back in action before the end of the season after scans showed he had broken no bones in his foot following a recent injury, Chronicle Live understands. The academy graduate missed the 2-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday as Eddie Howe admitted further tests were needed to determine the severity of the injury.
"I won’t go into the technicalities, but whereas we thought it was quite a standard injury, a bruise, now there may be a chance it’s something a bit more serious than that," Howe said. "We’re in the dark at the moment."
Longstaff was sent for a scan on Tuesday with the results showing bruising rather than a break. The race is now on for the 25-year-old to feature against Leeds United at Elland Road this Saturday but Brighton at home on May 18th may be a more realistic aim.
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Longstaff's absence has been felt heavily in recent weeks with Newcastle's midfield struggling to impact games without him. A heavy tackle by James Tarkowski caused the issue, with referee Chris Kavanaugh refusing to give a penalty after the Newcastle man went down in Everton's penalty area.
Longstaff subsequently missed Sunday's St James' Park clash with Arsenal as Howe's side lost 2-0 to the title-chasing outfit. The local lad was also absent when Newcastle lost 3-0 to Aston Villa in March through a bout of tonsillitis.
Longstaff was previously facing an uncertain future on Tyneside but recent displays have seen him cement his place in Howe's side. Speaking recently, the Newcastle boss admitted his performances still didn't get the deserved amount of praise.
“Sean goes under the radar, for me, in terms of getting the recognition his performances deserve. I thought he was really, really good in this game," Howe said after the 2-0 win over Manchester United.
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