Allan Saint-Maximin still hasn't reached his 'peak' yet as the Newcastle United forward has been backed to cause sides problems next season - if he gets back to full fitness.
The French winger has gone from one of they key members of the Magpies' starting XI to one not guaranteed first-team action as Eddie Howe has transformed the Newcastle side. However, former Chelsea star Florent Malouda feels that is more a sign of how far United have come, rather than any drop in Saint-Maximin's standards.
And the 80-times capped French international says a fully-fit Saint-Maximin can still play a big part for Newcastle going forward, despite the arrival of the likes of Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon - with perhaps even more to come from the enigmatic 26-year-old.
"I think Saint Maximin’s lack of time could be an indication of the progress that Newcastle have made over the last 12 months, but you also have to remember that he had a couple of nasty injuries that kept him out of the team," Maloud told Genting Casino. "He didn’t really fully recover so we didn’t see the best of him.
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"When he is playing at his best level, Saint-Maximin is the type of player that you would pay to watch. The fact that he didn’t come straight back into the team shows you that the level of Newcastle is increasing. There is competition there now.
"I think he hasn’t reached his peak yet. If he can get back to his full fitness, plus with the added games they will have next season, he will cause other teams problems."
Saint-Maximin only started 12 Premier League games for Newcastle last season, although featured in 26 in total, scoring just once - an incredible strike in the 1-1 draw at Wolves in the first month of the campaign.
The Frenchman took to Instagram to talk of a 'turning point' in his career, thanked fans for their continued support and spoke of giving everything 'whatever comes next'. That particular Instagram message came just days after Eddie Howe admitted the winger's future was entirely down to the player himself, although the United boss is a confirmed admirer of the United No 10.
