Just wait until Allan reaches his

Steve Bruce is certain Allan Saint-maximin has a bright future after his late strike secured victory for Newcastle over 10-man Southampton at St Mary’s.

The Magpies had failed to score in their last four top-flight outings and the pressure was increased after Matt Ritchie missed a penalty in the first half.

But Saint-maximin’s 79th-minute strike ended that goal drought as Newcastle moved eight points clear of the drop zone. And Bruce is confident there is much more to come from the forward.

“I’m delighted for him, I’ve said since day one he’s always going to please everybody,” Bruce said.

“If you haven’t seen him play then you’re going to enjoy watching him because he is a natural footballer, which don’t come around too often.

“He’s got frightening pace, great balance and has that thing where he wants to beat you and we don’t see that too often anymore.

“It can be a bit frustrating at times and he has to learn, but if he learns he’s got a big, bright future ahead of him.”

Bruce conceded that his side have been struggling in front of goal, but was pleased with the manner in which they adapted to the challenge at St Mary’s.

“We haven’t encountered a team dropping off us and letting us have possession of the ball,” he added.

“And then we have to create and that’s the hardest part of what we’ve found all year – creating a chance and taking the chance has been our Achilles heel. That’s why we’ve only scored 25 goals, but