Despite having incredibly wealthy owners that showed during the recent January transfer window how capable they are when it comes to splashing the cash on bringing new players to the club, Newcastle United still have a couple of players in their squad that have made their way through the youth system.

One of those players, in particular, that has played a significant part in Newcastle's current season is midfielder Sean Longstaff.

Having worked his way through the Tyneside club's youth academy as well as having loan spells at clubs such as Kilmarnock and Blackpool, the 24-year-old has racked up a total of 134 appearances for Newcastle in their U18, U23 and senior sides across all competitions.

The Englishman, who has been described as a "fantastic talent" in the past by former Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick, has also chipped in with 14 goals and 14 assists in his time at the club.

Back in February 2017 when he was on loan at Kilmarnock, Transfermarkt had Longstaff's market value listed at £68k, whereas it now stands at £11.7m, highlighting a significant rise based on his efforts on the pitch for the Magpies.

Last month, Newcastle reportedly turned down a transfer offer from fellow Premier League side Everton for Longstaff when former Toon boss Rafa Benitez was in charge, which goes to show how highly they value the midfield starlet.

So far this season, the midfielder's performances in the 15 appearances he's made for the Toon in the Premier League has earned him an overall rating of 6.5 according to WhoScored, higher than the likes of Jonjo Shelvey and Isaac Hayden.

This shows that while he is a capable midfield option for Newcastle, he still has some room for improvement if he wants to be a regular starter for Howe.

Moving forward, if the academy graduate, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £23k-per-week according to Salary Sport, can make the most out of any opportunities he gets to play from now until the end of the season, he could put himself firmly in the frame to be offered a new contract at the club when his current deal expires in the summer.

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