Allan Saint-Maximin was excellent during Newcastle United’s 2-0 win against Manchester United, and Eddie Howe has explained why he was so delighted with the Frenchman.
Howe decided to stick with Saint-Maximin in the starting lineup, and the 26-year-old justified the Newcastle manager’s faith in him.
He was electric against Man United, and looked like a player who can certainly thrive in Howe’s system. A lot of questions have been asked about Saint-Maximin this season, but he certainly delivered on Sunday.
The winger got himself an assist, setting up Joe Willock’s opener with a clever header back across the face of goal.
Eddie Howe really happy with Allan Saint-Maximin’s decision making and defending
Ahead of Wednesday night’s game against West Ham, Howe has spoke to the media. He expressed his delight at Saint-Maximin’s performance on Sunday, paying tribute to his decision making and defending against Man United.
“I thought he gave a really good all-round performance on Sunday,” he said.
“He’s a natural dribbler, everyone knows that, but his decision making of when to dribble and when to pass was very good. He got an assist so the end product was there and defensively he was diligent so I am delighted with him.”
Steps in the right direction for ASM
Saint-Maximin truly was brilliant against Manchester United. He created chance after chance for the Magpies, and probably should have got more than one assist. Willock missed another chance that Maxi created, while Sean Longstaff and Alexander Isak also came close after being setup by the Toon number 10.
Decision making has often been a problem for ASM. He can sometimes flatter to deceive, getting into brilliant positions before fumbling the final pass.
But there was no fumbling on Sunday, and it is hopefully the start of an impressive run in black and white. He looked back to full fitness, driving at the Man United defence with incredible speed. That is when he is at his unstoppable best, as the Red Devils found out.
Howe was really pleased with Saint-Maximin, and will be desperate for a repeat performance against West Ham on Wednesday night. They will present a different challenge for Newcastle, as they look to distance themselves from the relegation zone.
But Saint-Maximin should be full of confidence right now, especially after the kind words from his manager.
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