Newcastle United star ruled out of Leeds United clash - ‘uncertain’ if he’ll play again this season

Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe is uncertain if or when Sean Longstaff will play again this season.

The Magpies midfielder has missed home matches against Southampton and Arsenal after sustaining a foot injury during the 4-1 win at Everton on April 27.

Longstaff was on the receiving end of a heavy tackle from Everton defender James Tarkowski, a penalty appeal that was controversially turned down by referee Andre Marriner and overlooked by VAR.

Howe revealed after last weekend’s 2-0 defeat to Arsenal that Longstaff would visit a specialist on Tuesday. Howe thought “it was a standard injury but now there may be a chance of something more serious.”

Providing an update ahead of Saturday afternoon’s Premier League clash at Leeds United, Howe revealed Longstaff had avoided a serious injury - but there is an element of uncertainity over when he will return.

The 45-year-old explained: “He went to see a specialist as there were a few concerns that maybe he’d suffered some sort of structural damage in his foot but there wasn’t, which was good news, but there is a bit of damage to one of the ligaments.

“He’s being re-scanned today which we hope will show an improvement. It’s slightly unclear when he’ll be back but it’s not a long-term issue. It’s just whether we can get him back before the end of the season.”

Howe added: “It’s slightly unknown with Sean. We could see him as early as next week if he improves really quickly, or we might not see him at all.

“Thankfully, there is no serious issue with his injury, it’s just time to let the ligament heal. He’s OK, he’s a positive guy and always has a positive outlook.”

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