Darren Bent has claimed that Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin has become undroppable at St James’ Park.
The Sky Sports pundit believes that Steve Bruce has no other player that can do what the Frenchman can do on the ball in his side, with his dazzling runs having caught the eye of the former Sunderland man.
Bent admitted that the 22-year-old will frustrate fans regularly, but that they have understand that the Magpies don’t have anyone like him in the final third.
“You can’t leave him out!” he told Football Insider.
“When you have that pace and that trickery, you can’t leave him out because what can you do with him? He (Bruce) has got no one else really that can do what does.
“He gets up in the pitch in a hurry, he can travel up the pitch 60-yards quickly, so unfortunately as much as he may frustrate Newcastle fans or whatever, you’ve got no one else.”
Saint-Maximin arrived in the summer from OGC Nice but has yet to be involved in a single goal at St James’ Park, despite starting eight games in the Premier League.
OPINION
Bent is spot on to suggest that Newcastle don’t have anyone quite like Saint-Maximin, with his blistering pace and skill enough to cause problems for any side in the Premier League. Every player can frustrate fans for periods of time within a congested season, but to be involved in no goals is not good enough. The 22-year-old may get fans off their seats at St James’ Park, but what separates the best players from the exciting ones, is that they consistently find the back of the net for their side. Saint-Maximin has completed 4.3 dribbles per game this season according to WhoScored – almost four times the amount of any other Magpies’ player, but there has to be an end product, and once he finds that, he will be unstoppable. Without him, Newcastle would be much-worst off, and Bruce needs to find a way to get him into positions where he can regularly start being involved in goals for his side.
