Benitez reveals full extent of Longstaff injury & shuts down Peter Beardsley questioning

Rafa Benitez has confirmed that Sean Longstaff is ‘unlikely to be back this season’, with him expecting the midfielder to miss ‘2-3 months’ after damaging his knee ligaments at West Ham last weekend

The gaffer has also confirmed that Clark and Elliot are the only other two players set to miss tomorrow’s clash with Everton.

Here’s what Rafa had to say about Longstaff’s injury, stating that it’s ‘serious’ but insisting that it won’t keep him out for too long or impact on his future:

“He’s fine. Mentally he is strong. It’s serious but not so serious. It won’t be an issue for his future. It’s not as bad as the others, like Lejeune’s.

“If you look at Lejeune, you can come back quickly from injuries. It is not as serious. He is unlikely to be back this season, but mentally he is fine & he will be back in 2-3 months. He was becoming a key player for us but he will be fine in the future.

“We have four midfielders so we have to make a decision. It is bad news for Longstaff, but it could be good news for somebody else”

So, it sounds like he’ll miss the remainder of the season, but he should return in perfect time to take full part in pre-season ahead of the 2019/20 campaign.

Benitez also had this to say when asked about the Peter Beardsley situation – the former U-23 coach who was officially sacked this week – with the Spaniard refusing to comment:

“Sorry, I cannot comment about that”

Rafa’s right not to comment on it – it’s just a shame the club couldn’t give a full explanation as to what’s gone on given this Beardsley saga has dragged on for 14 months now.

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About Olly Hawkins

As a Junior Magpie since birth and season ticket holder, I eat, sleep and breathe all things NUFC! Here at the blog, I aim to bring you news, views, match reports and transfer exclusives as and when I get them.

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