SHEFFIELD UNITED and Nottingham Forest have both made loan approaches for Matty Longstaff, with Newcastle boss Steve Bruce having given the 21-year-old midfielder the green light to leave Tyneside before the end of the transfer window.

The younger of the two Longstaff brothers has suffered a frustrating 12 months, with a succession of injury issues limiting his involvement in Newcastle’s first-team squad.

He only made five Premier League appearances in the whole of last season, and barely featured in Newcastle’s pre-season programme this summer.

He was not named in the matchday squad for Sunday’s season-opening defeat to West Ham, and has attracted loan inquiries from a number of different clubs.

Blackburn Rovers and Huddersfield Town have discussed his potential availability with Newcastle officials, but it is Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest that are currently understood to have turned their initial interest into concrete offers.

Both clubs would be looking to sign Longstaff on a season-long loan, although neither has agreed the financial terms of such a move with the Magpies.

Newcastle will demand that Longstaff’s loan employers cover his wages for the season, but Bruce accepts that a temporary move away from Tyneside will aid the midfielder’s development.

“That’s (a loan move) a possibility,” confirmed the Magpies boss. “The kid needs to play. He’s had a really difficult year last year, with one thing and another.

“The thigh injury he picked up certainly seemed to go on and on. Thankfully, he’s had a very good pre-season and he’s okay. But the one thing he needs is to get some games. It might be something that we look at.”