Former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor has blasted Allan Saint-Maximin as a Neymar wannabe following our humiliating 4-1 defeat to Man Utd, saying he played like a “clown”.
He may have lost the ball 14 times, but the explosive Frenchman set up Javier Manquillo for our equaliser and was our main out-ball on the counter attack all afternoon, making these comments from Agbonlahor all the more misplaced.
The ex-England international has often slammed Toon fans for criticising Steve Bruce – who managed him between 2016-18. Last year he labelled supporters as “deluded”, claiming we’d get beat 6-0 every week if we played attacking football.
Now, rather ironically, he’s turned on one of our star players who’s actually helped keep his mate Steve Bruce in a job over the past 18 months, with ASM being the last player to blame for the defeat and our current predicament.
This is what he said when speaking to Football Insider:
“Steve Bruce has attacking players in the team.
“When Saint-Maximin is running through in the first half and he does a flick when all he has to do is pass around his opponent, what else can Steve Bruce do?
“You’ve got Saint-Maximin playing like a clown, playing like he’s Neymar for PSG and they’re 6-0 up. It’s Man United.
“I was so frustrated watching him thinking ‘What is this guy doing?’ All he has to do is take on another player and get a shot off. Instead, he does a stupid trick and gives the ball away.
“I bet Steve Bruce was pulling his hair out and is tired of repeating to him ‘Stop your silly tricks and just take people on with your pace. You don’t always have to try silly tricks’.”
Some of this is unbelievable from Agbonlahor, who appears to be getting pretty desperate these days in his attempts to defend Steve Bruce.
I thought ASM was one of very few bright sparks last weekend, with him a constant threat on the counter and playing a key role in our equaliser.
If you are going to point the finger at any player for our current demise, it shouldn’t be Allan Saint-Maximin.
It needs to be kept in perspective, but he’s not entirely wrong. ASM is incredibly frustrating at times, i.e. when he back heeled the ball to no one at the edge of the box during a promising attack. He’s still a large part of why we managed to stay up last season, and will be a large part of it if we manage it this season, but he could be even better if he improved his decision making and dropped some of the tricks. That being said if he did do all of that he wouldn’t be at our club for very long.
Kevin(Quote)
I’ve got to agree with agbonlahor here honestly ollie you’ve got rose tinted ASM glasses on here holds onto the ball to much when there’s a simple pass wants to take a player on two are three times more than he should basically show boats to much this is the start of his third season now penny should be dropping and there is no way a top club will sign him the way he plays
Darren Bebb(Quote)
Our biggest threat on the counter. Played a key part in our equaliser. A goal and two assists in four league games so far. The only player in our side able to take players on and make something happen from nothing.
No one is wearing rose tinted glasses RE Saint-Maximin here, they’re just responding to moronic comments from Agbonlahor.
For him to suggest he’s the problem when we have Steve Bruce in charge is laughable.
Olly Hawkins(Quote)
I love the way you actually set yourself up.
“He may have lost the ball 14 times, but….”
That pretty much proves Agbonlahor’s point.
Freddd(Quote)
We accept ASMs quirks because we have nobody better, but if anyone else gave the ball away that much they’d be on the bench.
Put it this way. Just think how could he COULD be.
Freddd(Quote)