Steve Bruce 'Confident' of Sean Longstaff Stay Amid Manchester United Rumours

Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce has ruled out the prospect of the club selling Sean Longstaff this summer amid continued links to Manchester United. 

The midfielder broke into the Magpies first team last season before his campaign was ended by injury in March. After a number of impressive displays, the Red Devils have been reported to be considering making a move for the player in the transfer window.

However, according to Bruce, there's little chance of the 21-year-old moving on. "We don't want to sell our best young players, that's for sure," he said, per Craig Hope of the Daily Mail. "So that won't happen. I'm very confident [he won't go]."

Hope noted United have made a £30 million offer for Longstaff, although Newcastle are said to value him closer to £50 million.

The Red Devils have made two major acquisitions in Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James this summer, although the central-midfield positions remain an area of concern for fans. As journalist Tom McDermott noted, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a little light on bodies there:

In addition, the future of midfield linchpin Paul Pogba is uncertain, and he continues to be linked with a move to Real Madrid and Juventus. Nemanja Matic struggled at times throughout the course of 2018-19 and, with his 31st birthday coming up on Thursday, is beginning to look past his best. Meanwhile, the jury remains out on last summer's biggest acquisition, Fred.

With that in mind, it's not a shock that United have looked at Longstaff as someone who could refresh the team. Football journalist Daniel Harris thinks the youngster would be a good fit for United:

Still, there are lots of questions over Longstaff despite the obvious talent he has flashed in his top-flight appearances.

He's only made nine appearances in the Premier League, meaning he's far from proved himself at the highest level. In addition, he's heading into the new season on the back of a serious injury. In March, he picked up a knee ligament problem in the 2-0 win over Burnley.

He has spoken about how delighted he has been to get on the pitch again in pre-season:

It's been a turbulent summer at Newcastle, with popular former manager Rafael Benitez leaving his post and being replaced by Bruce, to whom the reception was mixed.

However, the Magpies recently completed the club-record signing of striker Joelinton from Hoffenheim, and Bruce's obvious desire to keep hold of one of the team's best prospects will no doubt be well received by supporters.