‘THE BEST DEBUT I’VE SEEN’
STEVE BrucE was there when each of Manchester united’s fabled class of ’92 made their Premier League debuts but never has he witnessed a better one than that of Matty Longstaff.
That was the newcastle boss’s verdict after seeing the 19-year-old smash the only goal to topple Bruce’s former club, not that it felt like the downing of giants, so poor were the visiting team.
It said much for Longstaff ’ s influence, however, that he was on course for man- of- the- match honours even before his 72ndminute strike.
He should have been happy to get through this by keeping things simple alongside his brother, Sean in the centre of midfield, especially with the entire family, including dad David, the Great Britain ice hockey star, watching in the stands.
Instead, the new boy set the tempo from the off and inspired those team-mates who had been found wanting for such energy and enthusiasm during last weekend’s 5-0 surrender at Leicester. It was indeed a bold call by Bruce (below) to start Matty. But his aggression and ambition in possession served as the catalyst for a victory the newcastle head coach desperately needed. ‘It was quite fantastic to see, the local kid alongside his brother,’ said Bruce. ‘To score on your debut against Manchester united, I’ve never witnessed any better ones than that. His first pass was 35 yards on to someone’s chest. I thought, “aye, aye”. But he trains every day with a big beaming smile. He is so refreshing. He wants to play and is a great kid. ‘The first thing he said coming off at the end was, “Thank you”. That is ridiculous after what he’s just done.’ Bruce had warned the older brother to forget about interest from Manchester united before the game after talk of a summer approach. He added: ‘ That’s the best I’ve seen Sean play for a long, long time.
‘They have a lot of bumps in the road ahead of them before we can say they are fully established but the two of them have made a big statement today.’
Matty, making only his second senior appearance in all competitions, said: ‘ Last night you go to bed dreaming of it but you never think it will happen. I found out I was in the team yesterday after training and the butterflies started going. I was buzzing.’
Sean added: ‘Matty has been the best player in training and he was a breath of fresh air. I couldn’t be prouder of him. Look how lively he was, he made my job a lot easier.
‘He was really quiet last night, he’s usually bouncing around the house shouting. I’ve never heard him so quiet!’
Bruce was a relieved man after a week in which scrutiny has intensified following the Leicester loss.
‘The big thing when you get beat badly is how you respond,’ he said. ‘a lot of harsh words were spoken and rightly so. But you then need your team to perform, and they did.’