Apparently its an ingrowing toenail. He will be fit for the weekend but can only wear one boot - which is all he needs anyway.
From El Jefe "We have to assess him (Longstaff)in a couple of days. Obviously when you make a substitution, it’s because he was feeling something. “Yes. We will see how they (Shelvey, Ki, Diame) compete and train, all of them, and so after we will decide.” Doesn't sound as though they're ready to remove his leg just yet.....
Nowt on nufc.com about it If this "nail" related injury is anything like Marcelino's we'll be lucky to see him in 2019 again!
A bit harsh I feel. Hard to draw comparisons for me, obviously Rice scored and Longstaff didn't....but Longstaff scored in midweek and Rice didn't. You can't just compare them cos they were playing against each other y'knaa !! Seriosuly though, they are both promising young players and will hopefully go on to do very well for their respective clubs and country. I wouldn't swap Longstaff for Rice personally.
Me neither. On the day Rice had the better game. I thought it was probably a well timed lesson for Longstaff. The hype was gathering pace quickly (rightly so). I personally think he is a massive talent and one off game doesn't decide his future. I do just think he came back down to earth with a bump though, as Rice was the other standout being mentioned as a possible England midfielder of the future etc, so him getting the better of their duel. I still think Longstaff has more to his game. My worry for Rice is he reminds me of Rodwell and Hayden. Centre halfs who get made into midfielders because they have some of the attributes. Generally I can't think of too many that work. I think it works better moving them the other way - midfield back into defence like Carragher. Rice is good though, and reads the game incredibly well. He's a quiet achiever for me. People look at him and think well hes not that good, he hasn't been that involved. But then you look back and its all the tackles, interceptions and 5 yard passes. They'd make a great combo as they are different types of player too. Longstaff is better with the ball and has a great range of passing. He looks to have a thunderbolt too. His engine is unbelievable. Rice is more of a sitter, who breaks it down and give it simple.
Not sure it is as bad as it sounds, apparently 6-8 weeks but not going to be risked for the last 9 games which makes sense. have a mini summer holiday now, get back in to preseason early and try and force his way into a starting position for the beginning of next season. His interview with the Mail the other day made it sound like he handles setbacks pretty well so make sure the injury is cleared up ready to go again next season. Also glad it will give the others a chance like Shelvey and Diame to get a bit of a run before the end of the season, if Diame can get back to his best form next to Hayden that could be a pretty good partnership, both destroyers with legs to get forwards.
