United fans have far from welcomed the news that Ander Herrera will be departing the club at the end of this season.
Herrera, who joined the Red Devils from Athletic Bilbao in 2014, has become a cult hero at the club. His tenacity, desire and passion have never wiltered, even when the attitude of several of his teammates has been called in to question. The Spaniard has been one of the few United players to consistently avoid criticism from the club’s faithful and has always been backed on those dreaded video slots we see on YouTube.
Despite all of that, he wouldn’t be too hard to forget should United be able to sign Newcastle United youngster Sean Longstaff.
Dubbed the new Michael Carrick thanks to a similar running and passing style as the former England international, Longstaff broke into Rafa Benitez’s starting XI at the start of 2019, with his vision and assurance on the ball impressing both the Geordie faithful and the wider British football community.
Of the nine Premier League games he started this season – a number that would have been higher had a knee-ligament injury not ended his season in March – the Toon won five games, drew one and lost just three, with two of those defeats coming against sides who eventually finished in the top four.
At just 21 years of age, he is still eligible to play for the England U21s. Should he be able to prove his fitness in time, Longstaff should be shoe-in for Aidy Boothroyd’s squad for the U21 European Championships.
The United faithful may be used to star signings, but Longstaff is exactly the kind of player they need in the centre of their midfield. There is no doubt that Carrick has been missed since he retired in 2018, and whilst the comparisons to a club legend would usually heap too much pressure on to an up-and-coming youngster, the way Longstaff has comported himself since his first appearance, from the bench against Liverpool last year indicates that he will not let the praise go to his head.
And, with Carrick a part of the coaching staff already at United, Longstaff will only improve and fine-tune his skills under the former West Ham and Tottenham midfielder’s tutelage.
Although currently valued at £2.25 million, it seems likely that United will be forced to pay a lot more than that to secure his signature. The potential price currently being reported is in the range of £25m. Whilst this would still be a significant outlay for a player yet to play a full season of Premier League football, the chances are they would look back at that fee in years to come as a bargain.
