Leeds United man nominated for Premier League award as 8-man shortlist revealed
The Leeds United man is up against top performers from Arsenal, Manchester City, Sunderland and more.
Sean Longstaff has been recognised for his performance against Bournemouth with a nomination for the Premier League’s Player of the Week award.
Longstaff grabbed a goal and an assist at Leeds drew 2-2 at home to the Cherries, although the midfielder will be left disappointed his lovely volley wasn’t the winner. The Whites fell behind to an Antoine Semenyo free-kick but pulled level shortly before half-time, with Longstaff’s corner landing on the head of goalscorer Joe Rodon.
The former Newcastle United man then opened his Leeds account with a great half-volleyed finish, having seen Gabriel Gudmundsson and Noah Okafor battle to keep play live down the left-hand side. Those contributions were part of an all-action performance in which Longstaff created more chances (7) and won more ground duels (8) than anyone on the pitch.
Eli Junior Kroupi’s added-time equaliser prevented Longstaff from being Leeds’ match-winner but he has still been shortlisted for Premier League Player of the Week. Alongside the 27-year-old are Emi Buendia, Erling Haaland, Daichi Kamada, Declan Rice, Robin Roefs, Igor Thiago and Danny Welbeck.
Haaland scored two late goals as Manchester City thumped newly-promoted Burnley 5-1 on Saturday, while Brentford striker Igor Thiago also bagged an impressive brace in a 3-1 win over Manchester United. Goalkeeper Robin Roefs was Sunderland’s standout performer in a hard-fought 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest.
Sean Longstaff praised by teammates and manager
The Premier League have opened voting for their gameweek six Player of the Week award, which Leeds fans can take part in here. Voting closes at 12pm UK time on Wednesday with the winner announced later the same day.
Longstaff could be in with a chance of claiming the award, particularly given he nearly received a perfect 10/10 rating via WhoScored. The midfielder also got a 9/10 in YEP chief football writer Graham Smyth’s player ratings and won plenty of praise from his teammates and manager Farke after Saturday.
“He's been absolutely outstanding and he's gonna be a key figure for us going forward,” Rodon said of his all-action teammate on Saturday. “You saw again today, he's everywhere. Sean brings that calmness, experience and he knows where to be in the moments of the game.”
Head coach Farke added of the £12million summer arrival: “It’s not about talking. A leader is what you do on the pitch and your behaviour. It is walking the walk. Win a tackle, duel, get the lads going, build confidence. Keep the ball in difficult situations. Sean leads by example.”