Sean Longstaff Shrugs Off England Links and Reveals Where Short-Term Goals Currently Lie

​Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff has said his head won't be turned by the prospect of a first ever England Under-21s call-up, despite the presence of manager Aidy Boothroyd at recent Newcastle games. 

Boothroyd watched Longstaff, who hasn't been capped by England at any level, as he lasted 90 minutes in the win over Huddersfield, and his prospects off a call-up won't have been harmed by scoring the Magpies' second in the win over Burnley during the week. 

Despite all the speculation surrounding him in his breakthrough year, though, the 21-year-old says everything else is secondary to the Magpies current relegation dogfight. 

"No I haven't, and it's not something I am really looking at," he said, when asked if he'd given England much thought, according to ​Chronicle Live. "I understand where my bread is buttered at the moment. It is about working as hard as I can for ​Newcastle.

"I know the situation we are in. It's not like we are safe because we won the other night, it just put us in a stronger position. For me it is about working hard here and whatever happens away from here, it will happen. It's not something I have planned for.

"I have never been away with England before so it won't be a massive shock if I don't this time. It would allow me to spend more time here learning at Newcastle with the manager.

"If it happens great, if it doesn't, it's not something that will affect me. I am going to keep working as hard as I can for this club and for the fans. I am trying to help keep us in the ​Premier League."

Back-to-back wins over the teams around them have moved Newcastle six points clear of danger, and they face ​West Ham in the late kickoff on Saturday looking to put further distance between themselves and 18th place.