Man Utd to learn Sean Longstaff fate as crunch talks are booked in

Manchester United target Sean Longstaff will this week sit down with new Newcastle manager Steve Bruce to determine the direction the club is heading.

The 58-year-old, who was appointed as Rafael Benitez’s replacement on Wednesday morning, was on the training pitch with his players in Shanghai just 24 hours later.

A post on the club’s official Twitter account said: “Steve Bruce is taking his first training session as Newcastle United’s head coach, having touched down in Shanghai just over an hour earlier.”

Newcastle face West Ham in the Premier League Asia Trophy on Saturday having lost their first game against Wolves 4-0 in humbling fashion.

And one of Bruce’s first priorities will be to convince Longstaff to resist overtures from Manchester United and commit his immediate future to the Magpies, with Bruce set to tell the 21-year-old that he doesn’t want him to leave Newcastle and that he is an integral part of his plans.

United are understood to have had an opening £15million approach for Longstaff rejected, while a second offer – believed to be £25m, plus £5m in add-ons – has been left on the table for Newcastle to consider.

The homegrown star has proved a revelation on Tyneside since being handed his chance in the side by former manager Benitez and was said to be ready to stay at St James’, despite talk he was being targeted by United.

Longstaff appeared to rule out a summer move at the start of June when he reiterated his desire to stay at St James’ Park.

Longstaff said: “If someone told us at the start of the season that by the end of it you’d be linked with these teams, I’d have laughed at them. But it’s nice, it’s flattering.”

However, Benitez’s departure as manager has led to reports claiming Longstaff is now looking to move on, leaving Bruce with something of an immediate hurdle to overcome.

His potential departure though would be the latest blow in a cruel summer for the Magpies, who have not only lost Benitez, but have also seen star striker Ayoze Perez move to Leicester in a £30m deal.

For their part, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has suggested he is ready to pin his trust in two young stars of his own to fill the void in the side left by the departed Ander Herrera.