Allan Saint-Maximin is keen to add goals to his game at Newcastle United – but insists he’s happy to be involved in any way he can as long as we’re winning.
This comes from the 23-year-old’s big interview with Sky Sports, which sees him touch on everything from his love for Newcastle fans, his role in Steve Bruce’s side and how he’s coped during lockdown.
His comments on the part he plays in this Newcastle side stood out the most, however, with him accepting that his ‘finishing’ needs work – especially when chances to score have often been few and far between this season:
“I want to score goals and do assists but sometimes you can do the pass before the assist,”
“Sometimes this pass is very important for the goal. I always think about this. Sometimes I can dribble and four players will come towards me and then I can make a pass and it is easier for my team-mate to score. I am really happy when this happens.”
“For sure, I want to improve my finishing. But I think everybody knows that sometimes when you don’t have a lot of action in a game it is difficult. Sometimes there are games like the one against Oxford, if you remember that, when I had six or seven shots. That is easier.
“But sometimes in a game I will get one or two shots. This is harder. That is why we have to keep working and keep improving because the games are difficult. Sometimes we play really good but other games we play a bit bad. When you play a bit bad you don’t have chances.
“You have to keep running and working but it is hard for everybody. Even Miguel Almiron and Joelinton, it is hard for them too. That is why I try my best to assist my team-mates. I am more happy when I provide an assist for them to score. This is really important for me.”
“I know it is really important to score. That is why I want to improve and score more goals for myself and for my team. But I am not focused only on this. I would prefer to not score and my team wins 1-0 than to score and lose 3-1. I just want to help my team-mates do that. The most important thing is when my team win. That is why we have to keep going.
He’s scored just twice in the Premier League all season, with his tally in all competitions coming to 3 goals an 4 assists, however it’s fair to say his influence on this Newcastle United side can’t be judged on numbers, with his ability to carry the ball up the pitch and put defences on the back foot priceless.
Speaking about the return of Premier League football, the Frenchman also vowed to ‘keep working’ to keep us away from the relegation zone – urging the club to ‘do everything to win’ despite our eight point cushion from the bottom three:
“We have to do everything to win because we have 35 points and we don’t need a lot of points to stay up.
“The Premier League is the best in the world so you have to keep improving and keep working to be able to play in it.
“Now I feel good and feel I can show what I can do.”
More mature comments from our loveable box of tricks, who continues to show what a level headed young man he is who is happy to put the team before personal glory.
If there’s one player I’ve missed watching the most during this surreal spell without Premier League football, it’s him!
Here’s hoping he can get us off our sofas and run rings around defenders when Sheffield Utd come to town a week on Sunday.
