Alan Shearer singles out ‘under the radar’ Newcastle United star after Fulham win

Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer singled out Sean Longstaff for his standout performance in the 1-0 win over Fulham.

It was the Geordie midfielder’s cross that led to Alexander Isak’s 89th-minute winner at St James’ Park to help his side climb back up to third in the Premier League table.

But it was Longstaff’s overall display that impressed Shearer, who praised the 25-year-old for his “energy and determination”, plus the amount of yards he covered.

Shearer told Match of the Day 2: “We talk about (Miguel) Almiron, Joelinton, (Fabian) Schar and the improvement Eddie Howe has made to these players but I think someone who’s got under the radar is Sean Longstaff.

“His performance today, and a lot of the season, has been superb. I thought he controlled a lot of it today.

“He doesn’t half do his bit for the team and winning the ball but that’s what I like about him. A lot of the time he actually plays the ball forward, which makes the forward’s job easier.”

Longstaff played on the right-hand side of the midfield three in the first half before moving into the sitting role after an injury to Bruno Guimaraes.

He had two big chances to score in the game, firstly when Issa Diop produced a last-ditch block in the opening stages, plus a blazed effort in the second half.

If Longstaff can begin to add goals to his game, Shearer has tipped him to become “an unbelievable midfield player.”

Shearer continued: “His role changed in the second half because Bruno went off and he did a really good job. I mentioned about forward passing, that’s what he did really well in terms of keeping the ball and really pinging it into forward players.

“That’s an unbelievable cross that wins. Wilson keeps it alive and Isak his goal.

“This will be no surprise to the Newcastle fans because they see his energy and determination. That’s a regular, he runs a lot more than anyone else. The grass he covers is incredible.

“The one thing that he can improve on is his finishing. If he does that, he’ll be an unbelievable midfield player.”