Go a Long way to No 10 spot his own
in one of the remaining three friendly fixtures against Barnsley, Middlesbrough or Stoke City.
It would be up to Bruce what happens after that and dependent of course on transfer activity in the remainder of the window.
My own impression on Longstaff this season is he should be in for a better campaign overall.
The last two years have been a learning curve for the unassuming midfielder as far as injuries and life in the public eye are concerned.
It does not feel like five minutes ago since he burst on to the scene in the Premier League and pundits such as Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Jamie Redknapp were queuing up to heap worthy praise on to the Academy product - but last season was a test.
There was interest from Manchester United at one stage but how advanced it was depends on who you speak to on the football circuit.
In the end, it came down to valuation and while managing-director Lee Charnley did speak to Man United’s Ed Woodward the Old Trafford club were not able to match Newcastle’s price and the conversation proved to be a short one.
If anything, Sean was a victim of his own success at times last season as he could not recapture the same type of form from season one in the first team - and in addition other teams did their homework on him. It was a learning curve but the positive on Longstaff is he is a willing student.
So what does this season hold for him?
The good news is he will be able to live the dream and potentially play alongside his brother.
When Newcastle’s season was heading down the pan after the 5-0 defeat at Leicester City, the call was made for both brothers to patrol the midfield against Manchester United in the next game.
What happened next was the stuff of Roy of the Rovers comic books as Matty struck the winner and Sean had one of his best matches, leaving their mam and dad with tears of emotion in the Milburn Stand after a 1-0 win.
It was a win which relieved the pressure on Bruce and his backroom team at a crunch time in the season, arguably down to the guts of the Longstaff boys.
Bruce is a fan of both brothers but has used tough love on them at times.
Notably, though, for the next two seasons he has handed them a chance to succeed together.
With the spotlight slightly off Sean due to the contract saga which at one stage saw Leeds, Udinese, Southampton, Brighton and Schalke 04 at the table for Matty, he has the chance to go about his business in what will be a competitive midfield engine room this year.
Jonjo Shelvey, Isaac Hayden and new boy Jeff Hendrick will be favourites for starting roles but in many ways the pressure is off the Longstaff boys to start the new campaign.
The intriguing battle for places in midfield is already under way.