HOWE: ALLAN STILL A SAINT, NOT A SINNER
SIMON BIRD
ALLAN SAINT-MAXIMIN has been reprimanded by Eddie Howe after a controversial interview threatened Newcastle’s dressing-room unity.
The Toon boss confirmed he would address his squad to avoid any “fall out” from quotes that appeared in a French magazine this week.
The winger will not be fined, but Howe is far from happy with his £40million-rated star.
Saint-Maximin claimed he would get more assists if he played alongside strikers of the quality of Sadio Mane.
He said: “The day I have a player capable of finishing actions, I will make seasons with 10-15 assists, and I will change dimensions in people’s heads.”
Howe said: “We will be speaking with the squad and making sure there is no fallout from that, because unity has been our strength.
“I saw the quotes, spoke with Allan. I need to make this clear that Allan’s quotes didn’t come across in the way he meant them to. We spoke and in no way did he mean to damage the team and the unity we’ve built.
“He said things in an interview, but, as I said, it wasn’t in the context that he meant, although it happened.
“I have no concerns over his mood. I don’t think I‘ll be fining him about that situation, it is more a case of education and making sure players know what we expect of them.” Saint-Maximin (with Howe, above) later tweeted: “I never said anything negative about my team-mates. I simply said, as any Newcastle fan would, that I was looking forward to having an even better team so we can progress collectively.”
The full translation of Saint-Maximin’s comments suggested he saw a future for himself at Newcastle and more quality signings would help him. But the point came across clumsily and could be seen as disrespectful to his team-mates.
Saint-Maximin (above) added in the interview: “If you put me in the France team with a Benzema or Mbappe, I wouldn’t have much to do to improve my stats. With high-level players, I will have a better statistical return. The changes taking place in Newcastle thanks to the takeover will benefit me.” TEAMS: