Allan Saint-Maximin has lifted the lid on his injury torment after his season came to a grinding halt just as he was getting into the groove with Newcastle United.
A mesmerising performance against Manchester City had the champions on the rack in a 3-3 draw before a thunderbolt of a volley secured a point away to Wolves. But an untimely hamstring injury followed by a setback with a muscle issue has meant Saint-Maximin has only played a small part in a campaign that sees Newcastle challenging for a top-three place.
Saint-Maximin, speaking at the club's warm weather training camp in Riyadh, said: "It’s been a very difficult time for me because you can see I put in a lot of work during pre-season to be able to come back fit and to be the best I can.
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"I started very well, I did a great game against Manchester City - it was one of the best games I’ve played for Newcastle. And just after that, we were losing 1-0 against Wolves and I scored a nice goal to get a draw for the team.
"It was a very good and important moment for me but after, it was a bad moment because I felt pain in my hamstring. It was a very difficult time for me because always when you see the team play well, you want to be able to help them.
"I’m the type of player that when I get this type of injury, there is a lot of work to do. If I come back and do any sprint, anything can happen."
Saint-Maximin wasn't rushed back but was just starting to edge back into the team before the World Cup break. A useful 77-minute run out in the 5-0 win over Al-Hilal helped the winger and he is set to top that up at home to Rayo Vallecano this weekend.
Speaking about his cautious return from injury, Saint-Maximin said: "I tried to take as much time as possible and make the right decision. Obviously, it was easier to make that decision because the team was winning. When you are in a rush or there is a chance the team might go down, or the team really needs you, you try to rush and do things differently."
And Saint-Maximin is eager to strike up a partnership with in-form Miguel Almiron. Almiron was in fine form before the break and reminded fans what he could do with two goals against Al-Hilal.
Saint-Maximin said: "When you see the team win, it was very good to come back in a healthy team. I was very proud of every single player - Jacob Murphy, Miggy, I’m so happy for him because he is a great person and a great player. He really deserves what has happened to him now. I hope I will be able to help him score even more goals."
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