SEAN LONGSTAFF is set to be fast-tracked into England’s national set-up after bursting onto the Premier League scene with Newcastle United in the last few weeks.

Gareth Southgate has been impressed with Longstaff’s impact in the Magpies’ first team since he came off the bench to make his Premier League debut at Liverpool on Boxing Day.

The England manager has instructed his scouting team to compile a detailed dossier on Longstaff’s performances, and a member of Southgate’s backroom team is known to have been present at Newcastle’s 1-1 draw at Wolves on Monday night.

Despite only having made five Premier League starts, 21-year-old Longstaff has impressed sufficiently to leapfrog Mo Diame and Ki Sung-yueng in Rafael Benitez’s pecking order, and his performances have not gone unnoticed at international level.

He is set to earn a maiden call-up to the England Under-21s for next month’s home double-header with Poland and Germany, and is regarded as a strong contender for a place in Aidy Boothroyd’s squad for this summer’s European Under-21 Championships in Italy.

However, he is also on Southgate’s radar for senior recognition, with the England boss having displayed a willingness to fast-track players into the senior squad in the wake of last summer’s World Cup finals.

Jadon Sancho made his senior debut in October’s Nations League game with Croatia, and Southgate also called up Mason Mount and James Maddison for England’s autumn matches.

Longstaff plays in the same central-midfield position as Declan Rice, who is expected to make his England debut in next month’s European qualifying double-header with the Czech Republic and Montenegro after opting for the Three Lions ahead of the Republic of Ireland.

Rice’s emergence could mean Longstaff spends the rest of this season in the Under-21s, but Southgate is clearly interested to see how the North-Easterner develops in the remainder of the campaign.

Longstaff is currently with the rest of Newcastle’s senior players at a training camp in Spain that will conclude with a friendly against Russian side CSKA Moscow tomorrow.

His younger brother, Matthew, is back on Tyneside with the Magpies’ development squad, and having played alongside his sibling in the Under-23s this season, the 18-year-old could not be prouder of Sean’s achievements.

“I’ve been very impressed with Sean’s performances lately,” said Matthew, who will hope to emulate Sammy Amoebi by playing alongside his elder brother in Newcastle’s first team. “A year ago, he was playing at Blackpool in League One and I think that did him the world of good, going there to get experience before coming back.

“I think he has shown his class and how good he is. Once he’s got into the Newcastle side, he hasn’t just done a job, I think he’s been one of their best players. He was awarded Man of the Match against Wolves, and has already played against many of the best midfielders in the Premier League.

“He hasn’t been out of place one bit, and they have picked up results with him in the team, which will only be good for him.

“For his age, I think he’s quite mature. He knows his role and, whatever the manager tells him, he goes out and does well, showing his consistency in the last seven games and that he can perform at the highest level on a regular basis.”