In a recent interview (via The Shields Gazette), Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce revealed that he is planning to keep Allan Saint-Maximin beyond this summer. Bruce said,
“He’s worth his admission fee alone, isn’t he, in terms of his trickery, his pace and his power.
“He’s such a natural, natural footballer, the kid.
“He brightened up the whole day, and made us that threat. Let’s hope we can keep him fit. It’s vital we keep him fit and well. You can never say never but, absolutely, 100% I will say we’re keeping him.”
Saint-Maximin’s Injury-Ravaged Campaign At St. James’ Park
Saint-Maximin had an up and down season at Tyneside as he struggled to find consistency in terms of his productivity in the attacking end of the field. The French wide player netted three goals and provided four assists in 26 matches for the Magpies in the previous campaign across various competitions.
The 24-year-old missed a lot of key matches because of multiple injuries but did well to average 1.2 shots, 1.2 key passes and 3.8 dribbles per game in the Premier League. He even distributed the ball with conviction in the final third after completing 82.5% of his attempted passes in the English first division (stats via whoscored).
Newcastle Planning To Keep Saint-Maximin Beyond This Summer: Good Decision By Bruce?
Saint-Maximin can be a hard man to catch when he is dribbling at full swing towards the opponent’s penalty box. He is always willing to take on his marker and is quite direct with his runs in the final third. The French winger can contribute by scoring and creating some crucial goals for his team but needs to be more clinical in front of the opposition goal.
The ex-Ligue 1 talent is currently one of the most potent offensive options at Steve Bruce’s disposal. Therefore, everyone associated with the Tyneside club can now breathe a sigh of relief that they won’t lose Saint-Maximin during this summer transfer window.
Bruce’s plans to keep hold of the Frenchman beyond this summer seems like a wise decision as he could fire them to a top-half finish in the Premier League next season. If Saint-Maximin can stay injury-free, he could have a brilliant season with the Magpies over the next 12 months.
