Newcastle news: Medical guru issues ‘smoke and mirrors’ claim as Allan Saint-Maximin pictures emerge
Eddie Howe knew all along that Allan Saint-Maximin would not feature for Newcastle United against Brentford last Saturday (26 February).
That is the view of injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis.
Saint-Maximin did not make the matchday squad for the 2-0 win over the Bees, nor the 1-1 draw with West Ham a week earlier.
Howe claimed he had taken a knock the previous week against Aston Villa but that it was “nothing serious”, per Chronicle Live on 19 February.
But Saint-Maximin has since been pictured receiving specialist treatment in Monaco, per the same outlet today (1 March).
Dinnery suggests that Howe may have disguised the extent of the 24-year-old attacker’s setback using “smoke and mirrors”.
“Maybe it was smoke and mirrors from Eddie Howe, keeping Thomas Frank on his toes,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“Saint-Maximin spent all of last week away from the training ground. He was in Monaco having intensive treatment.
“He hadn’t been assessed by the club’s medical department until Friday and hadn’t taken part in any training sessions.
“So it was always going to be a long shot for him to be back for the Brentford game.”
Saint-Maximin has scored five times and laid on three assists in 25 appearances in all competitions this term.
The Magpies are up to 14th after a six-match unbeaten run in the Premier League.
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