Matty Longstaff became an instant hero at St James’ Park as he netted the winner against Manchester United.
The Magpies were under enormous pressure to get something out of the game against the Red Devils after losing 5-0 to Leicester City last weekend. Bruce, who made a few changes to his side, couldn’t have asked for a better result and showered praises on match-winner Matty Longstaff.
The 19-year-old made his debut alongside his elder brother Sean and he was nothing short of incredible. Longstaff blasted home the winner from distance in the 72nd minute and not many can argue that Bruce’s side deserved to take all three points.
The Newcastle boss was full of praises for the teenager and made a surprising claim: “‘It was quite fantastic to see, the local kid alongside his brother. To score on your debut against Manchester United, I’ve never witnessed any better ones than that.”
Bruce claiming that Longstaff’s debut was the best that he had ever seen is a huge claim considering that he has handed out a number of first starts to players during his 400-game reign as a manager in the Premier League. The teenager, who only played due to Isaac Hayden’s suspension, has now made a massive claim for a starting spot and after that performance, he well and truly deserves it.
With a home game against Wolves either side of away trips to Chelsea and West Ham coming up after the international break, Newcastle needed that win to boost their confidence and Bruce hangs on for at least another three weeks.
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