A worrying claim has emerged on Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin and his current injury situation...
What's the talk?
Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie has claimed that the Frenchman is not likely to be in the matchday squad for the clash with Fulham on Saturday.
He tweeted:
"Callum Wilson & Bruno Guimaraes back for Newcastle at Fulham tomorrow, but Alex Isak misses out. Late calls on Allan Saint-Maximin & Chris Wood but it sounds unlikely they’ll be involved #NUFC."
Magpies manager Eddie Howe refused to be definitive when asked about the winger's fitness but did admit that the gem is not far away from being fit, saying:
"He's doing well. He's had a period away but he's come back & he's close. There's a lot of moving parts with us at the moment. I'm being vague but that's because there are a few situations that are unclear going into the game - Allan is one of them."
Big blow for Howe
Saint-Maximin being 'unlikely' to feature against the Cottagers at the weekend should leave the Magpies head coach frustrated as his absence would be a big blow for the team.
The winger enjoyed a phenomenal start to the campaign as he caught the eye in the opening four games of the season. He averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.53 - higher than any other player in the squad - and chipped in with one goal and two assists from out wide, whilst completing 3.5 dribbles per match.
This comes after he produced five goals and five assists in 31 Premier League starts in 2021/22, along with 4.3 dribbles completed per outing.
Only Kieran Trippier (1.9) has created more chances per game than the former Nice man (1.8) this term and no other wide player in the squad has assisted a single goal.
Miguel Almiron and Ryan Fraser have been deployed on the wings during Saint-Maximin's spell on the sidelines and have mustered up one goal and zero assists between them, which suggests that there is a significant drop-off in quality between the Frenchman and his teammates in that position.
The aforementioned pair scored three goals and provided three assists combined in the top-flight last season and this shows that their struggles in the final third are not a new issue.
They do not have the quality to regularly contribute at the top end of the pitch and their lack of end product has played a part in the Magpies failing to win any of their last three matches - with the team scoring twice in that time.
Therefore, Saint-Maximin's continued absence is a big blow for Howe as he will not be able to call upon the wing wizard to be a difference-maker against Fulham.