Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce has admitted to the Shields Gazette that he wasn’t on planning on starting Allan Saint-Maximin against Bournemouth, but his performance in training changed his mind.
Saint-Maximin provided three assists for Newcastle last night, as they strolled to a 4-1 victory over Bournemouth at Dean Court.
The French winger was in fine form, as Newcastle put in a hugely impressive performance on the south coast.
And Bruce admits that he nearly left Saint-Maximin out, until a last minute change of heart.
“I wasn’t planning on starting him, I thought four games in 11 days was too much,” Bruce said.
“He bounced into training, and was full of himself. He was terrific.”
Bruce actually said before the game that Saint-Maximin was ‘extremely tired’, but there were no signs of fatigue on display last night.
Bournemouth simply could not handle the Newcastle winger, who is rapidly becoming one of the most dangerous players in the Premier League.
Saint-Maximin has been flying ever since returning to action, and his debut season at Newcastle has been hugely encouraging.
Newcastle’s win last night has lifted them up into 13th place in the Premier League table.
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