Former Newcastle United hero Allan Saint-Maximin has had a strange time of things since leaving the club in 2023.
Saint-Maximin was for so long the shining light of a Newcastle United side battling against relegation under Steve Bruce and established himself as a hugely popular figure among fans.
Still, the Frenchman never really seemed to settle under Eddie Howe and Newcastle eventually sold Saint-Maximin to Al Ahli in 2023.
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Since then, he briefly played under Jose Mourinho for Fenerbahce, and most recently joined Mexican side Club America.
Still only 28, Saint-Maximin also has other irons in the fire.
Allan Saint-Maximin helps coach youngsters while playing for Club America
Over the past year or so, Saint-Maximin has been involved in the set-up of the Onvi Academy.
Saint-Maximin wants to draw on his experience in elite level football to help support youngsters from the Île-de-France region.
Not every member will become a professional footballer of course, but Saint-Maximin wants to help the next generation of people from the area achieve their goals.
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The Onvi Academy revealed on Instagram that some of their members travelled to Mexico City for something of a training session alongside Saint-Maximin, who was pictured giving them advice.
It was captioned: “Observation of a training session of the professional players of Club America
“️Work and exchanges alongside Allan Saint-Maximin.”
The Newcastle United academy star compared to Allan Saint-Maximin
Saint-Maximin was brilliant during a bleak time for the club, even if his consistency was sometimes an issue.
Some of his goals for the club were outstanding. His goal against Burnley at Turf Moor lives long in the memory, as does his stunning strike against Oxford in the FA Cup.
Clearly, he wasn’t perfect, but the Newcastle United squad is perhaps missing a player of such ingenuity these days.
In Trevan Sanusi, however, they do have a young player who has drawn comparison.
Indeed, Newcastle youngster Sanusi has been compared to Saint-Maximin, although he is still finding his own way in the game.
The 18-year-old is currently out on loan at French side Lorient and recently scored and assisted on his Ligue 1 debut.
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