This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Newcastle earned a 1-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday, and Martin Keown was full of praise for Premier League debutant and matchwinner Matty Longstaff.
What did he say?
It was a historic day for the Longstaff brothers Matty and Sean as they partnered each other in the Magpies midfield, and it was made even sweeter by a valuable victory over the Red Devils.
The result should also relieve some pressure on Steve Bruce after a 5-0 loss to Leicester the week before. He too was full of praise for the young midfielder and that means he could become a permanent fixture in the side.
Watch Newcastle United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below
His performance wasn’t lost on Martin Keown, either, who featured alongside Alan Shearer as a pundit on Match of the Day.
He said, as reported by The Mag: “He made more passes, he covered more distance, he really put in a performance. It was almost to say to the boss, ‘Hey, look at me, you have overlooked me for too long.’
“It was like a Paul Scholes.
“I know that’s big praise and they are big boots for him to copy, but him and his brother – Carrick, Scholes…you know, they did very well.”
It is certainly big praise for the 19-year-old considering he only has two senior appearances for Newcastle, but he covered ground well throughout and acted as the perfect partner for his brother, culminating in him being named Man of the Match.
Complete display
Not only did he cap off his Premier League debut with a great goal, but Longstaff performed well in a number of areas that meant he was crucial to his side’s win, and led his manager to describe his display as one of the greatest debuts he’d seen.
Similarly to his brother, Matty looked to get involved in all aspects of play when he could.
He struck the bar with a brilliant dipping effort in the first half and constantly looked to get the Magpies on the front foot, playing seven long balls to try and advance his team up the pitch, five of which were successful.
Off the ball he was effective, too, managing one tackle and two interceptions he helped to disrupt Man United’s play and that meant they were limited to just three shots on target.
If he can continue to perform at that standard and increase his pass accuracy of only 73%, then he could secure that place alongside his brother and ensure that 2019/20 is his breakthrough season.