After finally seeing a positive resolution to contract talks in the summer, Newcastle fans will surely have been relieved at seeing one of their own in Matty Longstaff commit his future to the club.

The midfielder looked set for an exit from St James' Park as negotiations continued to get delayed, with reports even linking him with a move abroad to the Serie A, to join Udinese.

But since putting pen to paper, Longstaff has been unable to step onto the pitch for the start of the new Premier League season, with a recurrence of a thigh injury. It left Newcastle boss Steve Bruce very concerned, who admitted that the issue was proving "very problematic", and expressed hope that they could eventually see a breakthrough in that.

And the timing of Longstaff's recovery from injury could not have been better. It was revealed that first-choice midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has now been ruled out of action for at least a month, and will undergo a hernia operation.

That has opened the door for the younger of the two Longstaff brothers to stake his claim for a first-team spot, especially after his making footballing comeback for the U23s last week against Fulham.

Described as simply "talented" by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp, the 20-year-old showed in that stunning goal-scoring performance against Manchester United that he has the ability to be a top-draw player for the Magpies.

In fact, speaking after that game, Arsenal icon Martin Keown declared: "The young lad should be knocking on Steve Bruce’s door and saying ‘Why didn’t you play me sooner?’ It was almost to say to the boss, ‘Hey, look at me, you have overlooked me for too long.’

"It was like a Paul Scholes…I know that’s big praise and they are big boots for him to copy, but him and his brother – Carrick, Scholes…you know, they did very well. And this is an important ingredient now in this Newcastle team, yes they were more disciplined but those two definitely won them the  game."

Shelvey's injury is unfortunate, but it may be a blessing in disguise for Longstaff and Newcastle.