Newcastle United are currently enduring a difficult season in the Premier League as they sit rooted to the bottom of the table.

The Magpies are winless in their first 12 matches and are in the bottom three alongside Dean Smith's Norwich and Sean Dyche's Burnley.

Despite their rough campaign so far, one player has been able to stand out as a consistent performer in the team - Allan Saint-Maximin. He has averaged a superb WhoScored rating of 7.29, with three goals and three assists in the top-flight.

Dream deal

Newcastle sealed a dream deal when they landed the Frenchman two years ago. The club reportedly paid £16.5m to sign him from OGC Nice in the summer of 2019. He came to Tyneside off the back of managing nine goals and 12 assists in his last two Ligue 1 seasons for Nice, showing off his ability to make things happen in the final third.

The 24-year-old ended his first campaign at St. James' Park with five goals and seven assists in all competitions, dazzling supporters with his incredible dribbling skills. He averaged a whopping 4.7 completed dribbles per game in the Premier League, with an average rating of 7.29, showing his ability to take players on and get fans off their seats.

Speaking of which, earlier this year, Steve Bruce reserved high praise for the Frenchman, whilst ruling out a sale for him over the summer. He told The Mirror:

“You can never say never but absolutely, 100%, I will say that we are keeping him.

“I said when I walked through the door two years ago, and he did too, that the supporters will enjoy watching him.

“Whether you’re a Newcastle fan or not he’s worth his admission fee alone, isn’t he? In terms of his trickery, pace and power, he’s such a natural footballer, the kid."

To date, Saint-Maximin has racked up 24 direct goal contributions for Newcastle, with ten strikes and 14 assists in all competitions for the Magpies. This has led to his Transfermarkt value rocketing up to an impressive £27m, an improvement on the £16.5m they reportedly paid for his services.

At the age of 24, he could also have more growth to go through as a player. This means that, if managed correctly, his value could continue to soar if he is able to increase his numbers in the final third by adding more goals and assists to his game.

Therefore, Newcastle sealed a dream deal when they brought him to the club as they landed a quality young player with the potential to progress and be worth far more than they paid for.

AND in other news, Howe may find Janmaat 2.0 in NUFC deal for "underrated" £30m gem, fans would love him...