The Geordie midfielder’s return to the starting XI has coincided with three consecutive wins to help the Magpies get their 2024-25 campaign back on track.
The victory that started that run was the 2-0 Carabao Cup win over Chelsea, a game where Longstaff returned to the line-up after being left out of it in five of the six games previous. He will be hoping to retain his place ahead of a busy period, where Eddie Howe’s side play nine matches in just five weeks.
However, one game Longstaff won’t play in is the Brentford cup clash.
The 27-year-old was shown a yellow card against Chelsea and in the previous round versus AFC Wimbledon. As per EFL rules, any player who is booked twice before the semi-final stage of the competition is handed a one-match ban in that competition only. Unlike red cards, yellow card suspensions do not carry over into different competitions.
Indeed, Schar and Joelinton are also walking a disciplinary tightrope. The pair must make it to matchday 20 – the visit to Tottenham Hotspur on January 2, 2025 – if they are to avoid a one-match ban.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hall and Sandro Tonali are also close to the threshold having been booked three times this season. Bruno Guimaraes and Longstaff sit on two yellows, while Lloyd Kelly, Jacob Murphy, Joe Willock and Nick Pope are on one.
After the 19-game mark, the the threshold changes to 10 bookings, 32 games and a two-match ban.
Any player shown 15 bookings over the course of the season is handed a three-match ban but no player has ever been cautioned that many times during a single Premier League campaign.
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