Former Aston Villa forward Gabriel Agbonlahor has praised the “unbelievable” job that Steve Bruce has done at Newcastle this season, as reports Chronicle Live.

Agbonlahor played underneath Bruce for two seasons at Villa Park, playing 13 times and six times in the Championship in those respective seasons.

This season, Bruce has led Newcastle to 13th place in the Premier League table with 12 games left to play, with the Magpies seven points above the relegation zone.

Talking to Bet O’Clock (via Chronicle Live), the 33-year old hailed his former boss, claiming he has done an unbelievable job, especially given the talent or lack thereof at his disposal.

Agbonlahor said:

Steve Bruce has done unbelievable this season at Newcastle.

When you go to a club who doesn’t have the best quality of players, are you going to play expansive football like Norwich City and effectively be down by Christmas?

He has gone into Newcastle thinking that he needs to make them hard to beat, putting the three centre-backs in the team, and win games by beating sides on the counter-attack and it has worked for him so far.

He has done really well with the team that he has got. If you look at his front three, he will be thinking how well he has done considering their lack of quality.

Miguel Almiron, he can’t hit a barn door, Saint-Maximin acts like he is playing in a school playground, doing tricks in the wrong places and Joelinton has been dreadful. Steve Bruce has done a magnificent job.

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Agbonlahor certainly doesn’t mince his words, and harsh as they may be, his comments do have a kernel of truth to them.

Joelinton has struggled enormously this season, playing out of his preferred position and having scored just one goal in 26 Premier League games, while Almiron has been on target just twice in his 25 Premier League appearances.

The Magpies are desperate for more consistency up front, although they will now have to last for the remainder of the season with just Joelinton, Andy Carroll, Dwight Gayle and Yoshinori Muto, with the latter three having scored zero goals between them.

Still, Agbonlahor’s comments do seem slightly harsh, particularly towards Saint-Maximin who has impressed this season.

Should Newcastle sack Steve Bruce in the summer?

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