Newcastle United head coach Steve Bruce has heaped praise on Magpies winger Allan Saint-Maximin, but has urged some caution.
The Frenchman is now fit again and featuring from the start for Bruce’s team, but the Newcastle boss is keen to remind fans of just how young he is.
“He’s a constant threat,” he said, as per The Chronicle. “He gets you on the edge of your seat and can do something that many people can’t. He’s a bit unpredictable and we have to find the finished product from him.
“But when you talk about Chelsea’s youngsters, you have to remember that he’s 22 as well. We’ve got a few young players who can only get better.”
OPINION
There’s no doubt that Saint-Maximin is a hugely promising young player, but Bruce has to figure out how to get the best out of him. It’s hard to gauge his Newcastle career so far because he hasn’t really been fully fit, at least up until the past few weeks, but he’s shown signs of promise, for sure. He was involved in the build-up to Matty Longstaff’s magnificent winning goal against Manchester United a couple of weeks back, but other than that there hasn’t been much tangible production from him. As per WhoScored.com, the youngster is currently averaging a shot, 1.2 key passes, and 2.6 dribbles per game this season. That shows that he is a massively direct player who wants to get on the ball and run at the opposition. However, he is averaging two unsuccessful touches per outing, which tells you that there are inconsistencies he needs to iron out. But he is young, as Bruce says, something which is often forgotten about – but is all we hear about with the young Chelsea contingent.