WHEN Allan Saint-Maximin scored Newcastle United’s last-gasp equaliser at Wolves in August, he seemed to be a player at the peak of his powers. Little did he know at the time, however, that his outing at Molineux would represent his final league start for more than five months.
There have been a couple of hamstring injuries during the intervening period, the first of which was sustained just moments after he found the net against Wolves, and Saint-Maximin has also struggled with illness, which has restricted his training schedule. Nevertheless, the Frenchman has suffered a remarkable fall from grace given how pivotal he has been for the majority of his three-and-a-half years as a Newcastle player.
Since returning to full fitness in the autumn, Saint-Maximin’s involvement has been limited to 11 substitute appearances in the league and cup and a solitary start against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup third round.
He has not scored since the Wolves game and, in truth, has barely had a goalscoring opportunity, such has been the limit of his impact from the bench. He has found it impossible to dislodge either Miguel Almiron or Joelinton from the starting line-up, and has even found himself overlooked for Jacob Murphy on occasion.
Today, with Joelinton set to drop back into midfield to cover for the suspended Bruno Guimaraes when West Ham United visit St James’ Park, he is likely to find himself restored to the Magpies’ starting side at last. It feels like a pivotal moment, both in terms of Saint-Maximin’s ability to affect the current campaign and when it comes to his overall Newcastle career.
“It’s (second half of season) going to be huge for him (Saint-Maximin) personally, and huge for us that we get him in the best possible place to play,” said Magpies head coach Eddie Howe. “Physically, I think he’s in a good place now, probably the best he’s been since his injury.
“It was a difficult injury for him because he didn’t just injure his hamstring once, he injured it twice. So that really did delay his comeback. I do think he’s looked really good from the bench in recent weeks, and hopefully that has helped his confidence levels so that he can play a different role for us.
“There’s competition for places, and that’s what we need in every position because you know that one bad game or a couple of bad games can leave you out of the team and give someone an opportunity to take your place. Hopefully, that will help us in what will be a congested second half of the season.”
While Saint-Maximin’s dribbling and crossing capabilities are unquestionable, his limited work rate has almost certainly counted against him in the last few months.
Almiron and Joelinton cannot match the 25-year-old when it comes to technical brilliance or natural ability, but their relentless running sets the tone for Newcastle’s high-pressing approach and has been a major factor in the Magpies’ remarkable defensive record.
Howe accepts it is pointless trying to make Saint-Maximin try to match what Newcastle’s wide-attacking players have been doing in the first half of the season, so instead, the Magpies are going to have to tweak their game slightly to play to the Frenchman’s unique strengths.
“I think you have to accept players for their strengths,” he said. “There’ll be no better player at doing what Allan does well in the league in my opinion. You can never force a player to play like someone else. Allan is unique, but we need to make sure we see his strengths, and that comes down to the team giving him the ball in the right areas, and then Allan executing what he needs to do.
“Yes, our wide men do work extremely hard, and that’s no doubt contributed to our very good defensive record. Not just our wide men, but our midfield as well. But the team needs to function well to win, and it’s never just down to one player.”
Like the rest of his team-mates, Saint-Maximin is bound to have at least half-an-eye on this month’s Carabao Cup final at Wembley, Newcastle’s biggest game for decades.
Does the winger have a realistic chance of playing himself into the starting line-up to face Manchester United? Howe says so, even though he has been extremely loyal to the group of players who have thrust Newcastle into Champions League contention and formed the basis of a largely unchanged team in the first half of the campaign.
“There are always places up for grabs, even when I am picking the same team consistently,” said Howe. “I always try to pick my best team, and players can always change that."
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