Newcastle United host Brentford at St James’ Park this afternoon, and Eddie Howe will be hoping that the Magpies can build upon their win at Fulham, especially with the injury lifeline that his team has been handed.
What’s the latest?
Taking to Twitter on Friday morning, Craig Hope issued fitness updates on Allan Saint-Maximin and Aleksander Isak. Whilst the latest on the latter was not promising, there was notably some good news on the Frenchman.
The Daily Mail reporter tweeted: ‘Allan Saint-Maximin has trained all week & looks set to be in NUFC squad for Brentford. Alexander Isak still out. Eddie Howe confirms thigh injury. “He’s running on grass & increasing his speed, but medical team are holding him back from any more than that”. Timeframe “unknown”.’
Although it is a mixture of good and bad news, with the Swedish striker still ruled out, the boost of having the 25-year-old winger back will surely please Howe.
Howe will be delighted
It is incredible how instrumental Saint-Maximin has become to this Newcastle side, as he has featured for multiple managers with contrasting styles, but remained a constant in the team throughout.
He has played 97 games and counting for the Magpies and has recorded 13 goals and 18 assists. It is a respectable return, but one that he knows himself can be improved.
Five goals and five assists last season marked a genuine attempt to improve his numbers, which was perhaps the only side of his game which let him down at times. He had started this season in scintillating form too, earning an average SofaScore rating of 7.53.
The 25-year-old is averaging 1.8 key passes per match whilst offering a 58% success rate when dribbling. He seems to be adding more consistency to his game, which can be seen in his tally of one goal and two assists already this season, despite only appearing in the first four matches of the campaign.
Although the absence of Isak might be a big blow for the Toon, having Saint-Maximin back is arguably far more important, especially with Callum Wilson able to deputise up top.
Nobody on Tyneside, and very few in the Premier League, can do what the 25-year-old does in terms of leaving opponents in the dust – his match average of 3.5 dribbles far outstrips everyone else in Newcastle’s squad. He will likely be integral if the Magpies are to claim victory against Brentford today.
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