Newcastle United ace Allan Saint-Maximin faces up to six weeks on the sidelines

Newcastle United will be without their speed demon Allan Saint-Maximin down the tail-end of the season, according to NewcastleWorld.

After experiencing an injury-plagued first half of the season, the Frenchman has regained his place in Eddie Howe’s set-up in 2023, missing only two Premier League matches in the new calendar year.

But the 26-year-old winger was in discomfort during the Magpies’ 5-1 demolition of relegation-battling West Ham United last week and was seen hobbling off the pitch midway through the second half.

Howe was unwilling to take any risks with his quicksilver forward, who immediately underwent further scans to understand the extent of the issue.

The scan results revealed damage to his hamstring, which nailed him to the sidelines as Newcastle fought back to topple Brentford 2-1 at the weekend.

Howe told the reporters in the aftermath that Saint-Maximin’s injury wasn’t a big deal.

“I don’t think it’s serious with Allan,” he said. “Maybe a couple of weeks – I’m guessing slightly.

“Nothing too serious, but that was a big blow because of the form Allan has been in. But again, we back the strength of the squad.”

However, Saint-Maximim faces between four to six weeks on the sidelines, and Newcastle may have to see out their pursuit of a top-four finish without the lightning-fast Frenchman.

After playing three matches within six days, Howe granted his squad some time off following their come-from-behind triumph at Brentford.

Saint-Maximin seized the opportunity to travel back to France, where he was pictured running on the treadmill and spending time in an oxygen therapy hyperbaric chamber to accelerate his recovery.

Although he has only scored once and chipped in with five assists, the winger has been critical to Howe’s attacking set-up, using his blistering pace and quick feet to open spaces and create chances for his teammates.

His absence will hand Newcastle’s top-four bid a blow, but as witnessed by their victory at the Gtech Community Stadium, the Magpies are more than capable of winning games without him.