Sean Longstaff caught the eye of Jamie Carragher with his performance for Leeds United against his newly turned former club Newcastle United on Saturday.
Leeds United picked up what could prove to be a vital point in the quest for Premier League survival by holding Newcastle United to a goalless draw at Elland Road.
While not a classic by any means, Daniel Farke’s side asserted themselves well against one of the best sides in the country and rarely looked close to conceding.
A lack of attacking quality is a concern that must be addressed before the transfer window closes on deadline day but Leeds look up to the physical battle of the top flight.
Sean Longstaff was the best player on the pitch and typified Leeds’ battling approach to the Premier League, throwing himself into challenges and getting the better of his former teammates.
Jamie Carragher was left very impressed with Longstaff’s performance, especially with his tackling, duels and distance covered.
Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty ImagesSean Longstaff’s tackling and running impresses Jamie Carragher against Newcastle United
Though Sky Sports commentator Carragher voiced concerns over goalkeeper Lucas Perri, he had no such qualms with Longstaff.
Carragher gave the all-action midfielder the Player of the Match award and, when explaining his decision, he spoke about how well he played in an emotionally challenging match against his old club.
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“It can’t have been easy today,” Carragher said. “You see the tackles, duels won, distance covered.
“When you come up against a team you’ve played for, I’ve never been in that position myself, but as I say, it couldn’t have been easy.
“[Against] midfielders he’s trained with and played with for years, he’s supported them for so long.
“But he’s right in winning second balls, winning big tackles and challenges early on, it must have been a really emotional day for him.
“First start for Leeds against his old club and he’s done really well.”
Sean Longstaff has played himself into Daniel Farke’s Leeds United midfield
Longstaff likely only started the match due to injuries to Ao Tanaka and Ethan Ampadu, but the duo will now have a task on their hands to get their spots back.
Longstaff was excellent and set the early tone with crunching tackles and besting his old captain, Bruno Guiamraes, to a couple of 50-50 balls.
Newcastle are the most physical team in the Premier League but Leeds beat them at their own game, largely thanks to Longstaff adding some much-needed steel to the middle of the park.
With economic use of the ball when he won it, the new No.8 enhanced the midfield, but a lack of creative force was obvious.
Other than one smart through ball from Ilia Gruev, Leeds’ midfield didn’t cut through Newcastle’s lines once and left the attackers isolated.
With just two days left of the window, it couldn’t be clearer that a playmaker with ingenuity and imagination is needed.