Steve Bruce Adamant Sean Longstaff Will Not Be Sold Amid Links to Manchester United

​Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce has insisted that the club want to keep hold of their 'best players', as Manchester United continue to be linked with a move for Sean Longstaff. 

The 22-year-old was linked with a summer move to Old Trafford, but a deal never materialised. This season, Longstaff has made 14 Premier League appearances for the Magpies, starting nine times.

However, ​Manchester United are still keen on the player and ​could make a bid during the January transfer window due to the mounting injuries in midfield, with both Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay both currently sidelined.  

In response to the growing rumours, ​Newcastle manager Steve Bruce has now claimed that while speculation cannot be stopped, the club has no intention of selling Longstaff, or any of their best young players.

The 59-year-old said, as quoted by the ​Manchester Evening News: "Look I have said it from day one, we can never stop the speculation.

"As far as I am concerned I know Mike Phelan and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer very well and at this moment I don't know anything about it. We don't want to sell our best young players. That's certainly the case with Longy.

"This time last year he was just breaking through and he got in because of injury. The kid has done very well and let's see if we can keep playing," Bruce added. 

It remains to be seen whether the Red Devils will still look to lodge a bid during the winter window and test the Magpies' resolve. Elsewhere, Manchester United target Boubakary Soumaré ​is 'likely' to leave Lille in January, with the French side ready to cash in on the player while his value is still high. 

However, the Manchester-based side face competition from both Arsenal and Chelsea for the 20-year-old's signature. A deal could be done in the next week, but Lille would prefer to wait until after they face Paris Saint-Germain on 26 January. 

Source : 90min