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South Australia is still 94 runs in arrears of Western Australia’s first innings total of 480 at stumps on day three of the teams’ Pura Cup match at the Adelaide Oval.The Redbacks finished the day at 3/104 in their second innings, after Warrior captain Tom Moody enforced the follow on ten overs before tea.Captain Darren Lehmann (21*) and Jeff Vaughan (22*) look well settled for the Redbacks, though, and will be looking to stay in for as long as they can tomorrow. Lehmann said the prospect of coming away from the match with a draw would represent a good result for his team.”Obviously we can’t win it, so just have to play for a draw now and hopefully we can do that tomorrow,” he said.However, he acknowledged that the Adelaide Oval pitch is beginning to play more slowly and that the task of scoring runs will be a difficult one.”It’s going to be tough work. But if we can bat well enough and get out of there with a draw, that’ll be good a fightback for us. We still have to be positive and score runs because that’s the best way to get a lead and make it harder for them.”He said the team will take heart from the 119 run partnership that Jason Gillespie and Ben Johnson produced this morning.”They batted really well, positively, and did as well as they could. It was especially heartening to see Jason bat so well and with real confidence,” he said.After claiming three late wickets to have the Redbacks struggling at 5/133 at the end of day two, the visitors were looking to finish up the lower order quickly today. But Johnson (67) and Gillespie (51) compiled a surprise partnership to deny the Warriors their first success of the day until after the lunch break.However, the innings didn’t last long after those two were parted. South Australia again lost wickets in quick succession, crashing from 6/252 to 8/253 at one stage, before finally being dismissed for 282.Lehmann said his charges will have to be wary of losing concentration and quick wickets close to breaks. “We lost 3/6 (just before the end of play yesterday) at one stage and 3/1 in the next stage (just after lunch today). Basically 6/7 is not good enough. But we’ve looked at that and now it’s just a case of us trying to change that and do the right thing.”Openers Shane Deitz (31) and David Fitzgerald (23) began the Redbacks’ second innings well, batting patiently through the ten overs before tea without experiencing any major alarms. But, after the break, Deitz and Greg Blewett (4) were out within five runs of each other.Test hopeful Blewett again showed his disappointment at being given out cheaply, lingering (just as he did in the first innings) for a while before departing. He was caught at short leg by Simon Katich off Brad Hogg, after a forward prod popped up the ball. With scores of two and four from this match, Blewett, who turns 29 tomorrow, will have to wait until the Redbacks meet New South Wales in Sydney next month to score the runs that he wants.For the Warriors, Hogg, Gavin Swan and Matthew Nicholson finished the day with one wicket apiece. The in-form Nicholson gave away only 18 runs from his 11 overs.In the Redbacks’ first innings, it was Nicholson and Swan who did most of the damage for the Warriors, claiming three wickets each. Hogg’s contribution of 2/78 was also valuable.

Aston Villa have been linked with Inter Milan’s Stefan de Vrij, and it’s a move that Steven Gerrard simply has to make. 

This article is part of The Transfer Tavern’s The Gossip series, where we analyse players and managers based on praise and criticism from past and present.

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Football Insider reported on Saturday afternoon that Villa are monitoring the Dutchman as they look to sign an ‘A-list centre-back’ in the summer transfer window. De Vrij is into the final 18 months of his contract at the San Siro and Transfermarkt value him at £31.5m.

The same publication has previously reported that Gerrard had deemed Ezri Konsa too inconsistent and resolved to upgrade on him in the summer.

The manager

When he was in charge of the Dutchman at Inter Milan, Antonio Conte showered De Vrij with praise.

He talked up the defender’s reliability and importance and even compared him to Leonardo Bonucci, who was named in the FIFPro World XI in 2017 and, more impressively still, in the IFFHS Men’s Team of the Decade for the 2010s.

Placing De Vrij in that bracket is clearly a huge compliment.

The pundit

During last summer’s European Championship, Dutch pundit Kees Kwakman waxed lyrical about the defender.

He claimed that the Inter colossus ‘can do anything’ that’s asked of him as a defender and argued that he was more dependable than team-mate Matthijs de Ligt, the second most expensive defender in football history.

Kwakman said that the 30-year-old may not look ‘that strong’ or ‘that fast’ to the naked eye, but appearances can be deceptive.

The journalist

BBC Sport journalist Raj Chohan tweeted last summer that De Vrij had been ‘the best CB in Serie A overall’ in 2019/20 and 2020/21.

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He then went a step further, declaring that the former Lazio man deserved to be recognised as ‘one of the best CBs in the world’.

Based on these compliments, if the Dutch centre-back were to join Aston Villa, he’d be arriving at Bodymoor Heath with some pretty glowing endorsements from respected figures in management and media.

In other news, these blockbuster Villa links have also emerged

ScorecardThe Morkel brothers and Roelof van der Merwe starred in the field for the Titans as they beat the Cape Cobras by six runs in their Standard Bank Pro20 semi-final at Newlands in Cape Town on Sunday.Francois du Plessis (44) and Farhaan Behardien (32 not out) shone with the bat for the Titans as they scored 158 for 7 after deciding to bat first. Graeme Smith (34) was tearing into the Titans bowling before van der Merwe brilliantly ran out the national captain. The cunning bowling of Albie Morkel and the pace and fire of Morne Morkel then ensured the home side were left with a mountain to climb.JP Duminy motored to a half-century as he and Henry Davids (17) shifted gears to give the Cobras a late shout. They needed 16 off the last over, bowled by left-arm spinner van der Merwe, and although Davids sent the first delivery back over the bowler’s head for six, they were to fall short as the rookie star removed both batsmen courtesy of well-judged catches by Behardien.The Titans innings had earlier been robbed of crucial momentum when du Plessis, who scored his 44 off just 34 balls, was adjudged to be run-out by third umpire Karl Hurter, a decision which certainly did not concur with the images shown on public TV.Duminy took 4 for 24 and was the chief beneficiary of some frantic hitting at the death, but the Cobras bowlers in general were fortunate to escape without more severe punishment. Albie Morkel scored 12 and AB de Villiers 28, both at little more than a run-a-ball, but Behardien saw to it that the Titans posted a competitive score with his 18-ball whirlwind innings.The Cobras began their chase in fierce style with Smith and Andrew Puttick (25) putting on 54 off 40 balls for the first wicket. But the home side will be angry that they lost their two key batsmen, Smith and Herschelle Gibbs (6) to run-outs.van der Merwe, who is a real warrior on the field, swooped on a Smith push into the covers and, on the turn, speared his throw into the non-striker’s stumps. Gibbs took off for a single after Pierre Joubert dropped a fierce drive off Duminy, but the Titans captain was able to regather the ball and return it to the wicketkeeper before the enigmatic international star could get home.The Cobras were looking decidedly ill when Tyron Henderson (8) was caught off Albie Morkel to leave them on 96 for 4 after 14 overs, needing another 63 runs off 36 balls. Duminy and Davids mounted a dramatic late charge, but it was not enough and the Titans are now off to Natal to take on the Dolphins in Friday’s final.

According to Greg King, Munaf Patel, back from injury, is progressing well © AFP

Considering the grueling nine-months that lie ahead of India, team trainer Greg King feels that the bowlers’ fitness levels need improving. However, he expressed satisfaction with the progress made in the five-day bowlers’ fitness camp in Mysore.”To be frank, the fitness levels can be better,” King told reporters. “That’s why camps like this are good as it helps us assess as to where the players stand; those guys who are below the mark, we have tried to get them back on track. But as a fitness trainer you do think that all the guys could have been in better condition.”King was happy with the way the fitness camp unfolded. “We have been able to achieve everything that we set to achieve. We have done what we usually do in a fitness camp; assess the fitness of players, make sure that the guys understand and get on to their individual programmes. Also, Venkatesh Prasad [bowling coach] had a one-on-one session with the bowlers on technical aspects.”RP Singh, the left-arm pace bowler, too revealed that the focus of the camp was fitness. “It was all about fitness keeping in mind the busy schedule ahead,” he said. “Prasad had one or two sessions with us on the bowling. We concentrated on body positions, and follow through.”India have had their share of bowler-related injuries in recent times, with Munaf Patel and Sreesanth missing key games. Asked whether there was an increase in such breakdowns, King said he didn’t see any alarming pattern. “I don’t think there were no more or no less injuries than before. A lot of the time we can’t get the right reason behind these injuries. Of course I would like to see improvement in certain areas as each guy has been individually spoken on what he needs to do. With the tough schedule coming up we have given them specific programmes, anyone coming in and out [of the team] will know exactly the schedule to follow. So when they do come back into the team they are, ideally, already at a good level of fitness.”

A typical day at the bowlers’ fitness camp would begin with high intensity running and conditioning exercises in the morning session followed by strengthening exercises after lunch. In the evening there were bonding sessions such as volleyball, badminton and time in the pool. While King chalked out customised programmes for the players, Prasad would have a one-on-one with a bowler.

King was pleased with Munaf’s progress. “Munaf is looking good and coming along well. Obviously [physio] John Gloster will have to assess him at the next stage, but he completed all the fitness drills with the same intensity as everyone else.”A typical day at the bowlers’ fitness camp would begin with high intensity running and conditioning exercises in the morning session followed by strengthening exercises after lunch. In the evening there were bonding sessions such as volleyball, badminton and time in the pool. While King chalked out customised programmes for the players, Prasad would have a one-on-one with a bowler.The players also interacted with the Infosys Leadership Institute. “It allowed Prasad to see the guys interacting in different situations,” King said. “In any team environment you will have to communicate with each other, work towards a common objective and these sessions were designed in improving communication within the group.”Later this month, India embark on an 80-day tour of Ireland and England after which they immediately travel to South Africa for the Twenty20 World Cup that starts on September 9. Once that is over they return home for a seven-match one-day series against Australia and a full series with Pakistan. Shortly after those two contests India set off on a tour of Australia.

‘I think if spin bowlers bowl to me and I let them bowl to a plan they are going to get me out’ © Getty Images

Kevin Pietersen said he was satisfied with his contribution in the series and that there was no need to change his aggressive style of batting.”I think I’ve played pretty responsibly. I have a whole lot of responsibility batting at No.4. That’s one slot higher than where I normally bat,” he said at a press conference in Mumbai today, ahead of the third and final Test starting on Saturday. England are already 1-0 down in the series. “I honestly think I have to take that on board. I missed out on the first innings at Nagpur. Probably a silly shot, but that’s how I play, so that probably is going to happen sometimes.”And then, in contrast, playing for the team I got out on 87. If I had been selfish I could probably have gone on to get a bigger score. I was disappointed in the first innings at Mohali. I think I was looking to play myself in for a 100. I was really disappointed and unfortunately I got out the way I got out the other day [in the second innings].”Pietersen maintained that it was important to settle down first. “That’s why I think I got so cross with myself the other day,” he said in reference to his heated reaction to being incorrectly given out. “And I reacted a bit naughtily when I got out. It is those situations where I have probably come good in the past and it was probably a good hour or two’s batting I had to do in the afternoon to sort that out. Especially against India’s spin bowling. I think that’s why I was more upset than usual.” Pietersen was subsequently fined 30 percent of his match fees for showing dissent.He defended his aggression against the slow bowlers, claiming it his way of dictating the situation and alleviating the pressure. “I think if spin bowlers bowl to me and I let them bowl to a plan they are going to get me out,” he said. “I let Shane [Warne] bowl to me a coupe of times in the summer, and played some rather peculiar shots which I look back on and think ‘why where you doing that?’ The second time around I took him on and got a couple of runs. I have been pretty confident in building an innings and being patient.”Pietersen summed his up his batting method with one word: dominance. He said that it was the best way he found to put the pressure back on the opposition. “I think the positive way I go about things is a way to get them to bowl a few more bad deliveries. I try and keep things simple. Instinct plays a big role in the way I play. I don’t think I am going to change much. I do know that in some key moments I have to play with a lot more caution. But then again when England have been in trouble over the last two years I have done well in those situations.”He added, however, that patience had its virtues. “I think you can always be positive in defense too and for my batting to be positive in defensive I try and get a big stride forward and if I block the ball I get a real good stride forward,” he said. “That’s what I did against [Anil] Kumble. I think it’s positive in defense which probably looks a bit more positive and I feel comfortable that way.”Asked as to which of the three legspinners he had faced in the past season – Warne, Kumble or Danish Kaneria – was the most difficult, Pietersen’s answer was straightforward. “Shane’s a genius,” he said. “The thing with Shane is that you cannot lapse in concentration. You have got to be on the ball all the time. And also with Shane, well, in fact back in all my innings [prior to the subcontinent] I didn’t use my feet as much with Kumble or Kaneria. I think I really respect Shane. He’s in a different league.”Pietersen, however, singled out Kumble for India’s win at Mohali. “Kumble’s been fantastic,” he said. “The difference, in fact, was not Munaf [Patel] but Kumble. He created all the pressure.”Pietersen was not sure if a series loss in India, coupled with the loss in Pakistan, would take the shine off England’s success over the last two years. “Well, honestly, I wouldn’t know how to address that. I mean, we’ve had key players absent this time,” he said. “Our captain was missed in Pakistan as well as here. The boys did well against Australia and I don’t think that can ever been taken away from us.”Unfortunately, we have been hit by injuries, which happens in any sport, but this team has done well before and we have proven ourselves. I don’t think it will have any big impact on the players and the team. We’re a confident team, and we’re a challenging team, and we know we can beat the best in the world.”

Jai P Yadav has done well all season and needs to press on for one final push© Getty Images

It will probably be the street-drama that plays itself out at Mohali while the blockbuster resumes at Kochi after the intermission. Yet, the Ranji Trophy final between Punjab and Railways, beginning tomorrow, promises to be a tense, albeit low-key, battle. And if the Elite Group final gets little attention, you can be sure the Plate Final – between Haryana and Services – that also starts on the same day, will be banished to the back pages.Punjab will be without Yuvraj Singh and Dinesh Mongia, both chosen in the Indian one-day squad, but after conquering the odds in the semi-finals and upstaging Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium, they still start as favourites.In a remarkable turnaround, Railways managed to avoid the threat of relegation, scrape into the semi-finals and then surge into the final after a comprehensive win over Hyderabad. Relying on collective effort rather than individual brilliance, Railways overcame a sluggish start to the season with two inspired wins over Andhra and Karnataka, both away from home, and sneaked into the semis through the back door.Punjab were much more consistent all year. Intikhab Alam, their new coach, appeared to have added the cladding of steel and their faster bowlers – Gagandeep Singh, VRV Singh and Amit Uniyal – consistently posed problems. A close defeat at Hyderabad was the only blip all season and Ravneet Ricky and Reetinder Sodhi led the way in a strong batting order while Pankaj Dharmani provided the solidity.Like Punjab, Railways will also rely on their medium pacers and the lively track at Mohali could suit them too. Five of the Railways players were part of the Central Zone side that triumphed in the Duleep Trophy with Jai Prakash Yadav being the outstanding performer with the ball. Harvinder Singh and Sanjay Bangar will back him up and their canny ability to move the ball in conducive conditions can prove critical. Murali Kartik’s absence though may prove vital if the game enters the final day.Both teams have won the title just once earlier – Punjab in 1993 and Railways in 2002. At the start of the season, neither might have been expected to get this far with Mumbai and Tamil Nadu, the finalists in the last two years, being the clear favourites. But after Railways’ fairytale comeback and Punjab’s stunning win over Mumbai – all predictions may may go out the window.

Gauteng 241 for 6 (Cook 102, Ackerman 84*) beat Boland 157 by 84 runs
ScorecardGauteng’s Stephen Cook started the Standard Bank Cup, the premier SouthAfrican domestic one-day competition, where he left off in the first-classformat, scoring a century and taking his team to a rare victory over Boland.Batting first, Gauteng scored 241 for 6 in 45 overs. A 142-runpartnership between Cook and the Hylton Ackerman ensured thatGauteng scored a total that was out of reach for Boland, who were bowled out for 157 with Adam Bacher taking 3 for 34.Western Province 222 for 4 (Smith 67, Gibbs 59) beat Border 218 (Boucher 70) by 6 wickets
ScorecardWestern Province scored a convincing six-wicket win over Border, chasing down a target of 219 comfortably. A 130-run opening partnership between Graeme Smith (67) and Herschelle Gibbs (59) allowed Western Province to coast to victory, after Mark Boucher had made 70 to take Border to a competitive total.Easterns 192 for 7 (Hall 68) beat Free State 202 for 8 (McLaren 55) by 3 wickets (D-L method)
ScorecardEasterns beat Free State by three wickets with three balls to spare in a match which was reduced to 38 overs per side due to rain. Batting first, Free Statescored 202 for 8, with Ryan McLaren scoring 55. Further rain resulted in anadjusted target of 192 from 34 overs, and thanks to a 71-ball 68 from AndrewHall, Easterns found themselves on the winning end of the Duckworth Lewiscalculations.Griqualand West 207 for 8 (Afridi 91, Smith 53) beat KwaZulu-Natal 174 by 33 runs
ScorecardAt Kimberley, Griqualand West surprised KwaZulu-Natal with a 33-run win. After rain had reduced the contest to 42 overs per side, Griquland West set a target of 208, thanks to Shahid Afridi, who ran amok scoring 91 off 63 balls including ten fours and four sixes. He was assisted by Greg Smith, who made 53, while Shaun Pollock took 3 for 20 for Griqualand. In replry, Natal were bowled out for 174, with Zahir Abrahimtaking 3 for 25.The next round of matches will be played on Sunday, November 23.

New Zealand swept into the Super League stage of the ICC Under-19 World Cup today with a six-wicket win over Namibia.A whirlwind innings by Canterbury youth Neil Broom set the side up after an early worrying moment in the chase for 202 for victory.Namibia, fresh from their victory over Sri Lanka on Tuesday, were always going to face a tough task to back-up today against New Zealand. They did struggle too.Their middle-order were not able to build on a competitive start and struggled against the tight New Zealand spin and medium pace bowling before Burton van Rooi came and clubbed a fine 62 runs off 76 balls to set his side up for a score of 201/5.The New Zealanders were put under some pressure and their fielding looked ragged at times as van Rooi and Tobias Verwey, especially, attacked with good effect. Verwey with the luxury of wickets behind him in the last few overs smashed 30 off 20 balls, as Namibia scored 79 off the last 10 overs.There was some edginess in the New Zealand corner, made worse by the third over dismissal of dasher Jesse Ryder.However, Broom, having his first bat of the tournament came to the wicket with an air of determination and after taking an over or two to get the measure of the pitch he set about the bowling.”I just wanted to be careful, to play my natural game. The ball was coming on quite well, it was a good batting deck,” he said afterwards.Disappointed at not being included in the side for the first two games he said he tried to put that at the back of his mind.He had felt he had been struggling when batting in the nets but once he was out in the middle everything fell into place.Broom, who is enrolled to begin a carpentry course at Christchurch Polytechnic once the Cup is finished has been playing his first year of senior cricket this year and scored a century on debut for the East Shirley club. He’s also had a century and a couple of half centuries at the national Under-19 tournament which preceded the final selection of the New Zealand team.He is keen to take his cricket as far as he can but is not yet prepared to let it interfere with what is a promising rugby career.After coming to the wicket at the fall of Ryder’s wicket, he took immediate control and when the 50 partnership was posted with Stephen Murdoch, Broom had scored 45 runs off 45 balls. His 50 came up off 51 balls and included six fours and two sixes.The Namibians had opened their attack with the medium pace left-arm bowling of Hendrik Geldenhuys and the off-spin of Michael Durant. Geldenhuys picked up Ryder for seven, but it wasn’t until two run outs with New Zealand on 101 that there was any prospect of an opening appearing for the Africans.And fears of that were soon allayed as captain Ross Taylor flayed the bowling to the point where a prospective century for Broom was very quickly taken off the agenda.However, he did end up making 85 off 87 balls, including eight fours and two sixes before being the fourth batsman out with the score on 185.It was a classy innings and never gave the Namibians a look-in as he played shots all around the wicket.Taylor too, showed his style, and while there was an element of the bull-at-a-gate about it, his positiveness paid off and at the end he was 58 off 46 balls, his 50 having come up off 39 balls.The winning runs were hit by Jordan Sheed as eight runs came of Verwey’s over and by getting home in the 36th over New Zealand also gained a bonus point.Of the Namibian bowlers Durant was the least costly with his five overs costing only 16 runs, but he wasn’t called back when the New Zealand bowlers took control. The only bowler to send down his 10 overs was van Rooi, but they were at an expensive 59 runs.New Zealand’s next game will be against an as yet unknown opponent on Monday at Bert Sutcliffe Oval at Lincoln.

A major share of the honours had gone the way of Zimbabwe, the minnows ofTest cricket when stumps were drawn on their first ever Test series inEngland.A match which had been marred by the wet weather and was, as a consequence,heading towards a dull draw on what was going to be a meaningless final day,was somewhat unexpectedly brought to life by the enterprising tourists.Still as many as 89 runs behind, on the overnight score of 4 for 285, AndyFlower the Zimbabwe captain had put the onus on England by declaring hisfirst innings and as such challenging England to make a game of it. Theadventurous move not only livened things up but, indeed, for the first timein this series shifted the balance of play in Zimbabwe’s direction.This was clearly so during the morning period and for most of the secondsession. Overcast conditions which prevailed throughout the day, just as it’sbeen the case for the duration of this entire Test. The bowlers made fine useof the conditions and the jitters in the England batting rapidly set in.It was quite the reverse of the situation in the first Test at Lord’s. There,if Zimbabwe had begun poorly, England’s second innings here had got off to aastonishingly worse start. It was brought about by Zimbabwe’s 19-year-olddebutant pace bowler Mluleki Nkala who claimed the first two wickets with thetotal on six and put England in a position from which they never made aproper recovery.Nkala had match figures of 5 for 104 and that is a notable effort in a firstTest. With the potential that he has shown, he must be regarded as anexcellent prospect for his country. The coaching and advice that he has hadcould not have come from better quarters, having spent time in the Australiancoaching academy with Denis Lillee and spent time with Jeff Thomson and CarlRackemann.Half the England side was dismissed for 73 until Graeme Hick with 30 andEngland’s man of the series Michael Atherton with 34 were able to makereasonable contributions. Credit must be given to Zimbabwe’s bowlers who didtheir part so well after the batsmen, led by man-of-the-match MurrayGoodwin’s memorable innings yesterday had salvaged Zimbabwe’s pride.A pleasing aspect for the tourists was that all the bowlers performed well,sharing the wickets almost evenly and they were superbly supported in thefield. Unlike the previous Test, the catching as well as the ground fieldinghad shown a marked improvement.For England this one-nil series victory does not give too many reasons to getthe champagne out. Going on their performance here, the forthcoming seriesagainst West Indies seems more like a looming threat rather than one to lookforward to as it appeared after the efficiency shown at Lord’s.There was no determination shown today in the batting which lackeddiscipline. Nasser Hussain, the England captain said:” We were below par.What surprised us was how much they made of that wicket. They swung it aroundso much.”But this is precisely why England should have shown solid application. Therewas a fear after the win in the first Test that complacency would creep inand there was certainly evidence ot it here. It wasn’t just in the battingbut the bowling yesterday, when Goodwin in particular and Neil Johnson andAndy Flower were piling on the runs, had lost length and direction.While England go into the series next week on the back of a disappointingperformance, they will do well to bear in mind that West Indies have, onlylast week, defeated Pakistan in a thrilling series. It will have put them inan excellent frame of mind.

Kevin Campbell has given his reaction to the news that Newcastle United are now in talks with Sean Longstaff over a new deal.

The Lowdown: Contract talks

As per The Times, the North East club are in talks with Longstaff over a new contract at St. James’ Park, given that his current one on Tyneside expires in the summer.

Eddie Howe and senior figures at the Magpies are ‘eager’ for him to stay for the longer term, at a club that he has been at since he was nine years old.

The local lad has made 20 appearances in all competitions this season, including 90 minutes at Stamford Bridge in the controversial defeat last weekend.

The Latest: Campbell reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, Campbell, who is a pundit for Sky Sports, has since given his reaction to the update, claiming that keeping Longstaff in the squad will be ‘massive’, believing the new deal may have even come as a ‘shock’ to him:

“I think home-grown players are going to be so important for a club like Newcastle.

“To have that player in the squad, and that real connection to the fans with one of their own will be massive.

“He was probably expecting to leave the club at the end of the season – so this may well have come as a bit of a shock to him.

“Eddie Howe has probably had a look at him and decided he could be a useful player to keep around.

“If the vision at Newcastle is as grand as we expect, they’re going to be playing a lot of games. Everyone will get their opportunities.”

The Verdict: Keep

With the new riches at the club’s disposal, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium are likely to dip into the foreign market once more in the summer in order to attract some of the best players abroad to the Premier League, like they did with Bruno Guimaraes in the summer transfer window.

Thus, home-grown players like Longstaff will be important for the culture at the Toon, and also strengthen the connection with the supporters.

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Nonetheless, he is having a fine season so far, ranking highly among his teammates in terms of average tackles and pass completion per game in the top flight, while he has also chipped in with a goal and an assist (WhoScored).

Longstaff gives Howe a solid option in the middle of the park, and so there is no reason to let him go this summer.

In other news, find out what big NUFC update this injury expert has now revealed here!