Despite Newcastle winning, Steve Bruce was an angry man last night.
The build up to the game was dominated by talk of a rift between the manager and Allan Saint-Maximin, stemming from an article in the Daily Mail by Craig Hope.
The report stated that the Frenchman’s future was in doubt after being dropped on Saturday, despite Bruce claiming he was injured.
Saint-Maximin started the FA Cup win over West Brom and impressed, creating Newcastle’s first and third goals.
After the game, Bruce commented on the story. Hope then responded to him, enraging the Toon manager.
“It’s total lies, it’s nonsense. I’m glad your source is wrong,” Bruce said, as seen on a video on Sky Sports.
He then asked Hope: “Are you calling me a liar?”
The story has clearly rattled Bruce, who took the first chance he got to give his side of the story. And his response has certainly won him a few fans.
There were many who were worried the Daily Mail article was correct, but Bruce has quickly put those rumours to bed.
It’s not the first time Hope has reported on a fallout between a Newcastle player and manager. He did the same in 2018 when Rafa Benitez opted not to select Jamaal Lascelles for a game against Chelsea.
If Saint-Maximin was struggling with injury before the Burnley game, Bruce did the right thing in starting him on the bench. It would have been a disaster if he had picked up another long term injury.
He recalled the winger to the starting XI last night, and his decision was vindicated by a wonderful performance.
Newcastle are into the quarter finals of the FA Cup, and Bruce has won a few fans over with his post match comments.
Bruce vs Hope
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