Former Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff returned to his old stomping ground for some off-season training ahead of Leeds United’s pre-season.
Former Newcastle United midfielder was spotted back at Newcastle United Under-21s home ground, Whitley Park, for some off-season training.
Longstaff progressed through Newcastle’s academy and went on to make over 200 appearances for his boyhood club, scoring in the Champions League and winning the Carabao Cup. But last summer he was sold to Leeds United for £15million and went on to make 28 appearances in his debut season in West Yorkshire.
Leeds were able to secure survival comfortably in their first season back in the Premier League, finishing just two points below Newcastle in 14th.
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Now, as Longstaff prepares to return to pre-season training at Thorp Arch, he has been back on Tyneside working on his fitness.
Last week, Newcastle-based football coaching Instagram account rd1on1 posted an image of Longstaff at Whitley Park along with the caption: “@seanlongstaff97 getting ready for the season ahead.”
Whitley Park is located right next to Newcastle’s training ground and is still used by the club’s youth teams as a home ground. The Newcastle United Media Centre is also based at Whitley Park, with the same building also used by members of Newcastle’s recruitment team.
Despite his departure from Newcastle last summer, Longstaff remains a highly-rated player by head coach Eddie Howe.
An ‘outstanding’ signing for Leeds United
Last season, Howe said: “Sean is an outstanding player. We were sad to lose him.
“He's a player that contributed massively to our success. Really enjoyed working with him. I think he really, really cares about the football club.
“His love for the club, I think, is really deep, having come through the youth system. When I first got to see him train and work with him, you saw the level of player and what he could be in our system. I think our system brought out the very best in him. I thought he executed it really well tactically and scored really important goals.
“Someone who really loves the game and understands the game tactically really well.
“I think we've missed him. But we wished him well and I think it was the right time for him to progress his career.
“He's done really well. When he's been fit, I think he's been a big player for them.”
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