LEAVING the field at Anfield on Boxing Day, Sean Longstaff must have consoled himself with the knowledge that life as a Premier League footballer could only get easier.

Having made his top-flight debut as a 73rd-minute substitute against Liverpool, with his Newcastle United side already trailing by two goals when he came on to the field, Longstaff must have felt sure that things could not remain as tough. He was wrong.

Last weekend, he made his second Premier League outing as a central midfielder in an away game at Chelsea. ‘You enjoy yourself son. Oh, and if that Eden Hazard gets anywhere near the ball, try to stop him from scoring…’

“The way the squad is at the minute, there are a few injuries to key players,” said Longstaff, a 21-year-old from North Shields who has had loan spells with Blackpool and Kilmarnock. “But that’s what you need, you need a chance.

“I think, for me, to play at Anfield and now also at Chelsea, it’s not the easiest of baptisms, but I’ve loved it. Playing against the best players in the world can only improve you as a player.

“It’s amazing to see where I’ve come in just a short space of time - playing in League One last year to starting a Premier League game. Obviously, it’s something I’ve dreamt of as a kid and I’m over the moon. Now, it’s about doing well enough every day to get another one and another one.”

Longstaff has helped plug the gap created by the absence of Ki Sung-yueng, who is on Asian Cup duty with South Korea, and Jonjo Shelvey and Mo Diame, who are both injured.

Tall and athletic, with an eye for a long-range pass, he started this month’s FA Cup draw with Blackburn Rovers, and is set to remain in Rafael Benitez’s side for tonight’s replay at Ewood Park.

Newcastle’s academy does not have a particularly good record for bringing players through to the first team, but with Paul Dummett having established himself as the first-choice left-back in the last few seasons and Freddie Woodman, Jamie Sterry and Callum Roberts also expected to be in tonight’s starting side, perhaps things are gradually beginning to change.

Longstaff, whose younger brother, Matty, was part of the Newcastle Under-21 side that lost at Sunderland in the Checkatrade Trophy last week, is determined to do all he can to succeed, and while Saturday’s defeat at Chelsea might have been a disappointment, he was able to learn a great deal from the experience of locking horns with the likes of Hazard, Willian and N’Golo Kante.

“They’ve got Premier League winners - you name it, they’ve got it in their team,” he said. “For me, there’s no better place to learn than on the pitch. It’s good being on the training ground and watching videos, but nothing like experiencing it first-hand. It’s unbelievable.

“It was a disappointed dressing room after the game, but I think there were a lot of positives to take. You saw for a lot of the game we more than matched them. We were in their faces. We were under pressure for some parts of the game, but that was always going to happen against one of the top teams.

“It was a day of mixed emotions. We’re disappointed we haven’t taken something from the game. We caused them real problems.”

Tonight’s task should be somewhat simpler, although Newcastle cannot afford to take anything for granted against a Blackburn side that have lost just two of their 13 home matches in the Championship this season.

Benitez has made no attempt to hide the fact that an FA Cup third-round replay does not figure highly on his list of priorities. For the likes of Longstaff, Woodman and Sterry, though, it could prove to be one of the highlights of the season.

“Any time I get the chance to play a game for Newcastle, I’ll snap your hand off,” said Longstaff. “Hopefully, I’ve done enough to stay in the team. We’ve got a lot of injuries at the minute, and it’s another game.

“We’d have liked to finish it last Saturday, but it wasn’t to be. We’ll go in with confidence. It’ll be good to get a win - it doesn’t matter what competition it is. That’ll bring more confidence for the game on Saturday.”