Sean Longstaff He will be exhausted at Wembley, hoping to dethrone his younger brother Matty. Manchester United.
The Longstaff kids enjoyed a day their entire family will always remember in October 2019 when 19-year-old Matty blasted Newcastle with a 1-0 win over the Red Devils. Premier League He made his field debut with Sean.
On Sunday, the older brother will be at the center of the stage. magpies An attempt to end a 68-year local trophy wait against Erik ten Hag’s side in the Carabao Cup final by helping to book their place in the semi-final, against Southampton.
When asked if Matty’s feats in 2019 – scoring again in a 4-1 loss in the reverse fixture – were his family’s greatest achievement to date, Sean replied, “If you ask Matty, he still is!
“NO. Sharing the pitch with my brother, playing against Manchester United in the Premier League is a memory I will never forget.”
Matty, now 22, is recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury he borrowed at League Two Colchester at Boxing Day after a testing period in his rookie career.
Sean has experienced both highs and lows, at one point valuing his head at £50m as Manchester United expressed interest in 2019, but then slipped down the rankings at St James’ Park during Steve Bruce’s head coaching spell. . .
I probably wouldn’t be playing for Newcastle right now if he (Matt Ritchie) hadn’t put me on the right track.
Sean Longstaff
Really on teammate’s suggestion Matt Ritchieshe sought help from a psychologist to help her cope with the pressure of trying to rebuild herself.
He said: “To be fair, I was unhappy. In training… Can I swear? I was a bit of a tit and it wasn’t nice to be around, and he (Ritchie) finally saw it.
“Some people let you walk away, but it was he who pulled me back and said, ‘Hurray, you have to get it done.’ He texted me and said, ‘You need to talk to this guy and talk to him now.’
“Two and a half years later, I probably wouldn’t be playing for Newcastle right now if it hadn’t set me on the right track.”
The arrival of Eddie Howe as head coach was also crucial for Longstaff, who developed under the 45-year-old’s responsibility alongside defender Fabian Schar, Joelinton and Miguel Almiron.
He said: “He’s someone I’ll be forever grateful for and somehow Newcastle saved my career.
“We chatted while I was drafting my contract and he was saying things I didn’t even think I believed, but luckily he believed me and a lot of things happened.”
Longstaff, who grew up on Howe’s team, knew very well the city’s hunger for success and had insight into what might happen after the victory at Wembley when he met his father, David, a former Great Britain ice hockey player. international, after the semi-finals.
He said: “It was a Dry January, but that went out the window. I went upstairs and he got a little emotional. I haven’t seen Matty get this emotional since he scored against Manchester United.”