Matty Longstaff looked set for a huge future when he marked his Newcastle United debut with the winning goal against Manchester United but Eddie Howe must now look to get rid of the academy graduate after a woeful three years at St James' Park.

Should Newcastle get rid of Matty Longstaff?

The differing progress of the Longstaff brothers across the last three years has been a disappointing one for the Toon, who at one point looked as if they'd have a family connection in their midfield for another decade.

While Sean has established himself as a regular under Howe at St James' Park, making 26 appearances in the Premier League so far this campaign, his younger brother has endured a disappointing spell with League Two strugglers Colchester United.

Despite The U's battling out at the bottom of the fourth tier, Longstaff would manage just seven appearances in the first half of the season, failing to contribute a single goal or assist before returning to Newcastle in January.

His form represents a far cry from the player that broke into Newcastle's first team in the 2019/20 season, making 20 appearances in total under Steve Bruce, scoring home and away against Manchester United.

The Chronicle's Lee Ryder would sing his praises in December of that year, with the young midfielder impressing in a 0-0 draw against Liverpool.

He wrote: "No nonsense stuff from Matty Longstaff so far. Incredible work-rate and #nufc 's pass master with 15 so far."

Few would have predicted at that point that Longstaff would never appear in a Newcastle shirt again but that now appears to be the case, as he has endured a woeful three-year spell after re-signing for the club in the summer of 2020.

A contract dispute has seemingly brought an end to his chances of making it as a regular with his boyhood club, as he was reportedly close to joining Udinese on a free transfer in 2020, before eventually committing his future to the Toon two weeks after his previous contract had expired.

The 23-year-old will perhaps now be wishing that he hadn't, as he hasn't made a single first-team appearance since then, and has spent most of his time in League Two with Mansfield Town and Colchester, as well as a brief, unsuccessful stint in Scotland with Aberdeen.

Given that it has been 944 days since Longstaff signed that new deal and he hasn't been featured in the first team in that time, it seems clear that Howe must end the boyhood Newcastle fan's dream this summer, as he clearly isn't good enough for what the club has become since the takeover.