Allan Saint-Maximin has been short of playing time in recent weeks as he’s recovering from injury, so he’s not been setting the place alight with substitute appearances.
The 25-year-old has featured in only three of Newcastle United’s last six Premier League games, amassing just 66 minutes of playing time from a possible 180.
Saint-Maximin took to Instagram days ago to respond to critics and Danny Mills came to his defence by admitting that consistency has never been the Frenchman’s strength.
He told Football Insider: “He’s that sort of player who is going to be 9.5/10 or 5/10, 6/10. He’s never going to give you that level of performance where you think he’s a 7/10 player week in, week out. It’s not him, that’s not how he plays.
“He picks the ball up, runs with the ball, makes things happen and is exciting. All those types of things. One week you will think ‘Wow, sensational’ but then he might be quiet for two or three games.
“The way that wingers play, he’ll be in and out of games. It’s hard to be on the ball all the time when you’re that type of player.” Saint-Maximin has made 28 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring five goals with three assists.
He’s been without a goal in the Premier League since mid-January and hasn’t made an assist since September, but the 25-year-old has still had two or more successful dribbles in each of his last 11 games and has created two or more chances in four of his last six outings.
Newcastle have coped well in his absence, picking up two wins and a draw from the three games Saint-Maximin missed, but his unpredictability and willingness to run at defenders makes him such a valuable asset.
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