Bruce’s move to leave out Longstaff for the game at Carrow Road today is unlikely to curry favour with the fans

Steve Bruce has made the first bold call of his reign as Newcastle United head coach by leaving Sean Longstaff, a summer target for Manchester United, out of his starting XI for today’s game away to Norwich City.

Longstaff, 21, was repeatedly linked with a move to Old Trafford during the transfer window, but suggestions of a £50 million price tag proved prohibitive. Instead, the midfielder recovered from the knee injury that he suffered in March to get into the first side picked by Bruce for the opening game of the season last Sunday, a 1-0 defeat at home to Arsenal.

The move to leave out Longstaff, one of the big success stories for Newcastle last year after his emergence from the club’s academy, will