The secrets of Allan Saint-Maximin's stunning return to form

Allan Saint-Maximin has been Newcastle United’s most talented player for the best part of three years but the brilliance he showed in the enthralling 3-3 draw with Manchester City has only been seen in flashes.

Saint-Maximin’s quality on the ball, his dribbling skills, low sense of gravity, ballerina’s balance and dancing feet have been obvious since he joined from Nice for £16 million in 2019, but getting him to consistently influence matches with result-defining contributions has been harder to achieve.

That is why manager Eddie Howe has spent more time trying to extract the best out of the mercurial Frenchman than any other player since he was appointed in November last year.

It has been a challenge but a rewarding one for Howe and his coaching staff and Telegraph Sport can reveal the process that brought out the best in the 25-year-old against Man City.

For an affable man who rarely shows emotion on the touchline or give much away in his dealings with the media, Howe has what some have described as a “nasty streak”. 

He commands respect in the dressing room and can be a tough disciplinarian. Saint-Maximin has discovered that for himself over the last few months and at the end of last season, the winger was told he was not delivering enough and was playing as an individual far too often.

There was no bust-up or argument, but there was a challenge set to the player and a clear message he had to improve. He was urged to be less selfish, to hold on to the ball less in the final third, to beat his man once, not twice, or even three times, and if he was being crowded out by opposition defenders, to look for a team-mate in space rather than try to do it all himself. 

The conversations were cordial but the message was clear