According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin’s future at the club is in doubt after Steve Bruce dropped him for Saturday’s goalless draw with Burnley.
It is understood that Allan Saint-Maximin, 22, is fully fit despite comments from manager Steve Bruce that he’s got a hamstring problem. Also, there have been concerns about his performances in training. Against Burnley, Bruce chose to not risk the Frenchman and brought him on with 12 minutes remaining.
The report adds that both Crystal Palace and Wolves are monitoring the 22-year-old winger’s situation at St. James’ Park.
Newcastle signed Saint-Maximin from OGC Nice in the summer, and while he has endured a stop-start debut campaign in the Premier League, playing just 16 times due to injury issues, he has largely impressed. He has scored just once but has threatened opposition defences whenever he’s been on the pitch.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace have registered back-to-back victories in the Premier League, with the latest coming against Brighton on Saturday. The South Londoners have had an up and down campaign, marred by injuries to key players.
Injuries and poor form of a couple of key players have mightily impacted the Eagles’ performances. One such player who has struggled to deliver the goods this season is Wilfried Zaha.
Zaha has proved to be the ace in the pack for Palace over the last few seasons. He is often man-marked during games, leaving space for others to exploit. However, the Ivorian has not been able to live up to his usual standards this season, bagging just three goals and as many assists in 28 games.
In addition, the forward told the Daily Mirror last month that he may well move elsewhere if the chance arises in the summer. Should Zaha leave Palace at the end of the 2019/20 season, Roy Hodgson should replace the Ivory Coast international with Allan Saint-Maximin.
Despite having scored just once in the Premier League this season, Saint-Maximin has been the one real bright spot for the Magpies. He is just 22 years old and has a lot of room for improvement. Predominantly a left-winger, he is also capable of playing on the right and his versatile nature of play would come in handy for the Eagles.
The potential is clearly there for Saint-Maximin and he could definitely improve his game under Hodgson. Replacing Zaha would be difficult for Palace but Hodgson must attempt to bring in Saint-Maximin, who has the talent to develop into a world-beater, as evident from the exciting performances he has put in for Newcastle this season.
Saint-Maximin would bring a lot of quality to the Eagles’ attack, whilst adding depth to the squad. The French winger has the ability to continue at a higher level for a long time and Palace must take a chance to enjoy his brilliance.
