HIS life might have changed dramatically in a short space of time, but Matty Longstaff is not about to be taken out of the spotlight just yet – nor does Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce think he deserves that.

Longstaff is set for his third start in a row for his beloved Magpies tomorrow afternoon when Wolverhampton Wanderers head to Tyneside, having never previously played in the Premier League before that.

The 19-year-old has been one of the most talked about teenagers in the top-flight since scoring the winner against Manchester United before the international break, and that has prompted a step up in contract talks with the club.

Longstaff’s existing terms – which have been reported to be worth just £850-a-week before appearance bonuses – expire at the end of this season, which is why Newcastle are so keen to get the North Shields-born midfielder tied down to new terms.

This week has seen Slovakian goalkeeper Martin Dubravka pen a new six-year deal and Bruce hopes Longstaff will not take long to follow. His older brother Sean, who is under contract until 2022, is also in discussions.

“The two of them are, Lee Charnley (managing director) is in discussions with them,” said Bruce. “They have the same agent. These things don’t take one day, with Martin it has taken two and a half months. I am confident we will get there and we will do our best to tie them up as soon as we can.

“When we have spoken with Lee for the last few weeks on the squad, and where we see things fitting in, Martin was one of those contract we needed to do and I know Lee is in discussions with two or three others.”

While the contract negotiations continue, the Longstaffs are set to continue at the heart of the Newcastle midfield against Wolves with the boss claiming those talks will not be a “distraction” for the pair.

“Well, it’s Matty’s third game in a row, but it’s not midweek,” said Bruce. “Look, the one thing we are going to have to do is manage him. He couldn’t have asked for a more difficult couple of games, let’s be fair, Manchester United and Chelsea. But he’s bounced around the training ground all week, so we’ll see.”

Despite receiving plenty of praise for the way they have attacked the Premier League, Wolves only sit three points clear of Newcastle going into the meeting at St James’ Park.

But Bruce is well aware of the threat that Nuno Espirito Santos’ side will pose, having watched them develop from the season they stormed the Championship before then finishing seventh in the Premier League last season.

“In the Championship, they were arguably the best team I’ve seen,” said Bruce. “Maybe the great Fulham team with Jean Tigana back in the day, but they had players playing in the Championship who were just far too good for it.

“They had an accumulation of Wily Boly and Ruben Neves and all them, Ivan Cavaleiro, all of them right the way through. Now they’ve added Joao Moutinho and Raul Jimenez – they’re a very, very good side.

“I think they’ve only lost two or three games this season. They’re a very good side, so we’ll have to be at our best to beat them because they’re excellent.

“What they have done is they have recruited very, very well and they bought practically a new team two years ago. They had the captain of Atletico Madrid playing in the Championship – how on earth they have managed to do that is beyond me, but they’re you go, that’s a different argument.

“They’re a very, very good side. As I said, they had too good a team, too good players. They blew away the Championship, which is not easy. They were fantastic.”