Newcastle boss Steve Bruce has urged Matty Longstaff to come to a decision quickly regarding his future at the club, claiming the uncertainty has gone on for 'far too long.'
The 20-year-old recently signed a short-term contract extension until the end of the season after the campaign was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic, but he has yet to commit his future past that date.
Newcastle have put a new deal on the table for Longstaff but are still waiting his response, with Serie A outfit Udinese offering him a £30,000-per-week package - believed to be £10,000-a-week more than the Magpies' terms.
And Bruce has since urged Longstaff to make a decision, insisting that the contract saga may have affected him.
Speaking to BBC Newcastle, Bruce said: 'I've got people who are committed to the club and, just yet, Matty hasn't committed himself.
'It's been going on, in my opinion, far, far too long - and it might have affected the boy.'
Bruce added: 'He has, for a young player, got a big decision to make. We've made him a fabulous offer for a young boy... yes, it's my job to protect players but it's also to protect the club, and we want people who are committed to the club. We hope we can resolve it.'
Longstaff has featured 14 times for Newcastle under Bruce, scoring three goals during that time.
Since the season restarted, Bruce has opted to deploy centre back Fabian Schar at the base of the midfield rather than Longstaff.
However, Bruce insists that his selection choices haven't been driven by Longstaff's contract situation.
Bruce said: 'Take the contract aside, I've played Fabian Schar because of his physicality. That's why I've played Fab in there. He's played in that position for his country who are eighth in the world.
'This debate that I'm not putting Matty in the team simply because of his contract, it's not true. We'd all like Matty to stay and get things resolved, but the ball is in his court. But I'm certainly not picking a team with that in mind. I picked a team at Watford I thought could win the game.
'I gave the kid his debut. He's had a thigh injury unfortunately when he came back from lockdown, which was a pretty severe one. I've treated him the way it should be.
'We've made him a huge offer, it's up to the boy to commit himself. I'm not not picking him because he hasn't signed a contract. We think a lot of Matty and the ball is in his court.'