The Frenchman’s start at Newcastle has been disrupted by injury, making just two brief appearances so far. His cameo off the bench against Arsenal didn’t inspire a comeback, while he barely lasted 10 minutes of his first start away to Tottenham.
But the hamstring injury seems to be behind him now, and Bruce has another attacking option to turn to. This is a huge boost for the manager, who will also have Andy Carroll on standby for his second Magpies debut.
We all want to see Carroll make an appearance against Brighton, but Saint-Maximin might be better staying on the bench. In an ideal world, the £16.5 million man won’t be needed.
When he came off the bench against Arsenal, we were chasing the game and needing inspiration. Against Tottenham, he was meant to be the creative spark reigniting a side that was battered by Norwich the week prior.
If Saint-Maximin doesn’t play against Brighton, that means the XI Bruce picked was able to get the job done. They didn’t need a super-sub to save the day.
Carroll needs minutes to get his match fitness back. But Saint-Maximin shouldn’t be rushed. He clearly wasn’t ready to return from his hamstring injury against Tottenham, and that tweak set him back another few weeks.
If possible, we should avoid risking the winger. Another week of training and he’ll be 100% ready to go against Leicester.
Fans want to see him race down the wing past defenders, but in an ideal world he won’t be needed against Brighton.
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