Remarkable Sean Longstaff stats emerge as calls grow for change in Newcastle midfield

Newcastle United fans are split over who to start in the middle of the park

Eddie Howe may have a midfield selection dilemma on his hands as Newcastle United head into the international break. The Magpies were comfortably beaten by Brighton on Saturday evening, with more questions now being asked regarding Howe's go-to midfield trio of late.

Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali have started in the middle of the park for all four Premier League games so far this season, with Sean Longstaff and Elliot Anderson watching on from the sidelines. Calls are now beginning to grow for the former to be brought back into Howe's starting XI.

Longstaff was an instrumental part of Newcastle's success last term, with Howe labelling his performances as going 'under the radar'. It appears Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp is in agreement too.

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"Certain players, I feel, simply have to be there. Sean Longstaff is one of them," he said after the Brighton defeat. "He's such an unsung hero. These stats back up that. With and without him, it's huge. He has a vital role in this team.

"With Guimaraes in there, he has too many touches. He wants to dribble out sometimes when you don't need to. Longstaff has great legs, he has energy, and he lets the others have that platform to perform and do that thing. They miss him.

"I've no doubt Eddie Howe will be scratching his head thinking 'this isn't quite working this three'. It might in time but in these type of fixtures, you need to be good with the ball and without it.

"I think you're leaving Guimaraes exposed. He needs to be further up the pitch where he can make things happen."

The stats Redknapp refers to show Newcastle won 28 games when Longstaff started last season, winning just 10 when he wasn't used from the outset. The north east side conceded an average of 0.7 goals when Longstaff started, compared to 1.4 when he didn't.

Newcastle's win ratio shot up from 30 per cent to 57 per cent when Longstaff was given the nod, with the Magpies enjoying a higher points per game average in the process.

Doubts linger over the fitness of Guimaraes and Joelinton after a shaky start to the campaign, while the calls for Longstaff's return grow louder.