You could tell he was special
FROM a young age, Newcastle United player Sean Longstaff impressed everyone with his hard work and determination.
His teachers at John Spence Community High School knew he was destined for great things as they watched him hone his skills on their fields.
So when he bagged a place in Newcastle United’s first team, their pride knew no bounds.
Adam Pilkington, director of sport at the school, said: “I’ve known Sean since he was about six years old and you could tell he was something special then.
“You could just tell he had the drive and determination to succeed. He stood out from a very early age, was streets ahead in terms of his manners and resilience, and had loads of technical ability.
“He could turn his hand to anything you threw at him – cricket, badminton, table tennis. He was a natural sportsman and an all-rounder.”
Sean, 21, who was born and bred in North Shields, went on to join United’s academy team.
Then in 2017, he played for Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock on loan and later signed for Blackpool, also on loan.
He made his Premier League debut for Newcastle in December, coming on as a second-half substitute against Liverpool at Anfield.
He is now being talked of as a rising star and a future hero at St James’ Park.
Marc Burnip, his former PE teacher and football team manager, said: “That’s all he wanted to do - play for Newcastle United. His dream was and still is to play for the team alongside his brother Matty, who also plays for Newcastle (Under-23s team).
“He was very hardworking and an exceptionally considerate pupil. He was the captain of the team and wanted to lead from the front. He wanted to organise things, he supported his team mates and was always offering advice.”
Mr Burnip recalled a County Cup game against Walker Technology College where the score was six all, with 15 seconds left on the clock. Sean said “I’ll finish this now” before firing in the winning goal. He had in fact scored the other six goals too.