Eddie Howe has explained why Sean Longstaff was left on the bench during the defeat at Aston Villa.
The Geordie midfielder was restricted to a substitute role and played just 22 minutes at Villa Park. But after the game Howe emerged to insist he was only sidelined due to an illness ahead of the crunch match.
Howe said after the game: "Sean’s had some illness, so we weren’t quite sure how long he could play either. All these things are factored into my decision-making.
