Former Blackpool boss Gary Bowyer is pleased to have had an influence on Sean Longstaff's development.

The Newcastle United midfielder spent last season on-loan at the Seasiders.

Bowyer told nufc.co.uk: "He had a fabulous year for me, for the club and obviously for himself and Newcastle.

“He came in and scored some wonderful goals - you put some of them on Twitter! He's got fantastic ability and he's a fantastic lad as well. He wants to get better and that was the big thing about him; he was always looking to improve, always in the office looking at his clips for ways he could get better.

“Personally, as a coach and as a manager, I'm delighted to see the progress he's made in pre-season. I was fortunate enough to be in Nottingham two weeks ago and watched him make his debut there. The last time I saw one of the players that I'd worked with make his debut was Phil Jones, at Forest ironically, so if he can go and do what Phil Jones has done then he'll be alright!

“But on a serious note, he's got a lot of talent and he's got a good family behind him that really support him and push him. And working with Rafa Benítez, he's got a great opportunity to improve his game even further now. Hopefully he breaks through and becomes a regular for Newcastle."