Allan Saint-Maximin ‘could’ make his return from a hamstring injury when Newcastle United host Chelsea at St. James’ Park on Saturday evening, according to the Chronicle.
The £20million summer signing from OGC Nice has not featured in any competition since Steve Bruce’s Magpies came back to beat Southampton 2-1 on December 8, sitting out eight games.
Bruce admitted after the Saints win that Saint-Maximin’s at-the-time potential absence was “the downside of playing somebody tired”, having watched the Frenchman exit the ground on crutches after his 96th-minute substitution.
The Toon have taken one win in six without Saint-Maximin on the field, including three defeats on the bounce against Manchester United, Everton and Leicester City.
Saint-Maximin returned to training earlier in the month but Bruce opposed rushing the 22-year-old back into the first-team fold in fear of a repeat injury, stating he would prefer to leave the former France U21 international out until the end of the month.
But Bruce’s stance may have eased since addressing the media before facing Wolverhampton Wanderers, as it is now suggested that Saint-Maximin ‘could’ re-join the team for Saturday’s meeting with Chelsea.
Should Saint-Maximin start vs Chelsea?
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Having Saint-Maximin back would surely be a welcome boost for Bruce given our dire run of form over the festive period without the 5 ft 8 winger, who has completed more successful dribbles than any other Magpies player.
Saint-Maximin has beat opposing players with 54 dribbles in the Premier League this season, per Sofa Score statistics, which is 23 more than second-most man Joelinton (31), 25 more than third-most man Miguel Almiron (29) and more than double that of fourth-most man Jetro Willems (21).
Chatenay-Malabry-born Saint-Maximin has also played 61 accurate final third passes in the top-flight since his summer switch from Nice, along with three accurate crosses, 12 shots, 13 key balls and has created one big chance to date.
In other Newcastle United news, the club’s rumoured negotiations over a £13m midfield enforcer have sparked a lot of discussion.