According to Sky Sports, Allan Saint-Maximin is set to miss a month of action due to a hamstring injury.
The Frenchman limped off at the end of the win against Southampton, leaving the ground on crutches which had supporters panicking. He’s now set to miss the entire Christmas period, starting with Saturday’s trip to Burnley.
This is a massive blow for Newcastle. Saint-Maximin had become a key part of this team, our biggest outlet with his dribbling ability sometimes the only thing capable of getting us up the pitch.
Steve Bruce will now have to find a way of being successful without the 22-year-old, although a lot of supporters think the manager is to blame for the injury.
Saint-Maximin also limped off against Sheffield United, boasting an ice pack at full time. There were rumours he could be rested against Southampton, but instead he played the full game – which ultimately led to his demise.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and if Bruce had his time again he’d definitely have taken Saint-Maximin off against Southampton. However, a half-time injury to Ciaran Clark forced him into an early change, meaning Bruce only had two subs left to influence the game.
Andy Carroll needed to come on for Joelinton, then the other change saw Sean Longstaff come on for Miguel Almiron. At that time, Newcastle were still searching for a winner.
There’d have been uproar if Saint-Maximin had come off instead of Almiron, as he’s much more likely to score. And to be fair to him, he did play a brief part in the winner.
But some fans are still blaming Bruce, who has some big decisions to make after another crushing injury blow.
Bruce feels the wrath of some supporters once again
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