Toon ‘need to use star duo cleverly’

STEVE Bruce ‘may have to be clever’ with the amount of minutes he gives Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin between now and the end of the season.

That is the verdict of former Newcastle United midfielder Jermaine Jenas who lauded the pair’s impact from the bench in Sunday’s crucial 2-1 win at Burnley.

Wilson (hamstring) and Saint-Maximin (groin) have both recently recovered from injury and started the clash at Turf Moor on the bench.

With Newcastle 1-0 down, Bruce made a double substitution in the 57th minute as the pair replaced Joelinton and Dwight Gayle up front.

Within eight minutes Newcastle had flipped the game on its head with Saint-Maximin providing the equaliser for Jacob Murphy before firing United ahead with a stunning solo goal.

Jenas believes there was a noticeable change in how aggressive Burnley’s defenders were before the introduction of Wilson and Saint-Maximin compared to after they entered the pitch.

He said: “When we look at Dwight Gayle and Joelinton at the top end of the pitch, I think the issue was that Ben Mee and Tarkowski felt comfortable against them.

“So they get tight, knowing if it goes into their feet then they can steal it and if it goes into the channel then they are quite happy to have that race as well.

“When Wilson and Saint Maximin came on it was a different ball game altogether.

“I think that back four had something to think about then.

“Burnley dropped off a yard because they have pace, those two, and when teams do that gaps open up everywhere.”

Wilson is Newcastle’s top goalscorer, while Saint-Maximin is by far and away the Magpies’ most talented player.

They will be instrumental in Newcastle’s bid to avoid the drop, Sunday’s win lifting them six points clear of the relegation zone - but Jenas feels with their recent injury history Bruce must be careful with their game-time.

He added: “If you look at the run-in United have they are going to need that pace, the energy, what those two subs brought because it is a huge run-in.

“Steve Bruce may have to think he cannot play them for 90 minutes for the rest of the season and just use them in chunks when he desperately needs them.”