Allan Saint-Maximin suffers injury scare at the worst possible time

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Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin has suffered an injury scare ahead of the Magpies’ Carabao Cup clash with Bournemouth.

The Frenchman started in Saturday’s friendly against Rayo Vallecano, but limped off late in the game as Eddie Howe’s side won 2-1.

The Toon boss has now provided an update of sorts on Saint-Maximin’s fitness, and is unsure if he will be available for Tuesday night’s League Cup fourth round clash.

“I think there’s a slight injury – we’ll see today how he [Saint-Maximin] comes in,” Howe said.

“Obviously after a game things can be sore, but they can settle quickly, so hopefully that’s the case.”

This now means that Saint-Maximin is a doubt for the game against Bournemouth – a fixture that he was almost certain to start.

While he isn’t officially ruled out, Newcastle could be sweating on the 25-year-old’s fitness ahead of their return to competitive action.

And after the season he has had, this potential setback could be coming at the worst possible time for Saint-Maximin.

Saint-Maximin suffers injury scare after only just returning

Newcastle’s number 10 has endured an injury hit season. He hasn’t started a Premier League game since the 1-1 draw with Wolves back in August.

But he returned to fitness before the World Cup, and started the Carabao Cup triumph over Crystal Palace. He has since started in friendly wins over Al Hilal and Rayo Vallecano, and looked particularly sharp in the latter.

Saint-Maximin was impressive on Saturday, and was even contributing off the ball – which has been an area of weakness to his game in the past.

So to suffer an injury blow late on in the game is agonizing for him.

Saint-Maximin is so talented that he can win games on his own. He has even been described as ‘unplayable‘ in the past. But this season has been hampered by injuries, at a time where Newcastle are playing incredibly well without him.

He must be absolutely desperate to play a part in this remarkable season, and has worked incredibly hard to return to full fitness. To then pick up another knock just before competitive football returns is excruciating. The timing couldn’t be worse.

Therefore, let’s hope that this was just an impact injury and that Saint-Maximin is fit to face Bournemouth on Tuesday night.