Newcastle may have unearthed a gem in Sean Longstaff

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Sean Longstaff continued his remarkable first-team breakthrough this season with an impressive display in the 3-0 win over Cardiff City on Saturday.

The Magpies moved out of the relegation places after an emphatic victory at St James’ Park and will now hope to continue moving away from trouble.

Newcastle went into the weekend without Ki Sung-Yueng due to his involvement in the Asian Cup, while both Mohamed Diame and Jonjo Shelvey remained sidelined through injury.

That left manager Rafael Benitez with limited options in the centre of the park and Longstaff made just his third Premier League appearances.

The central midfielder completed 90 minutes and was an absolute machine throughout.

He showed extreme maturity for a 21-year-old with his defensive positioning and composure on the ball, while his work-rate was faultless.

Longstaff could end up saving Newcastle a lot of money in the transfer market, which should help Benitez pursue targets for other areas of the pitch.

The youngster is a product of the club’s academy and is beginning to show he’s ready for a permanent slot in the senior team.

He’s definitely done enough to keep his starting position despite the imminent returns of Shelvey and Diame.

Longstaff is beginning to feel like a new signing in a way due to his recent breakthrough and the academy graduate is giving the team a boost.