Newcastle boss Bruce reveals ‘lightning’ Saint-Maximin was crocked in 23mph sprint – but he’s only sixth-fastest in Prem
STEVE BRUCE has told how Allan Saint-Maximin’s hamstring injury was caused by a record 23mph sprint. The Newcastle winger, 22, pulled his muscle in Sunday’s home win over Southampton when he raced for the ball in the 96th minute. And boss Bruce said the speed Saint-Maximin clocked just before he went down is the fastest […]
STEVE BRUCE has told how Allan Saint-Maximin’s hamstring injury was caused by a record 23mph sprint.
The Newcastle winger, 22, pulled his muscle in Sunday’s home win over Southampton when he raced for the ball in the 96th minute.
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ALLAN SAINT-MAXIMIN picked up a hamstring injury after running an incredible 22.8mph... but remarkably, that wasn't even the top speed run in that match. SunSport counts down the top six speeds run this season in the Premier League.
6) Allan Saint-Maximin – Newcastle United, 22.8mph
The Newcastle livewire has been taken to the hearts of the Toon Army. The Magpies haven’t managed to win a match without him, and he will be greatly missed over the Christmas period while crocked. The Frenchman was chasing down a lost cause when he registered this astonishing speed – subsequently pulling a hamstring.
=4) Bjorn Engels – Aston Villa, 22.9mph
The 25-year-old defender is the first of two deceptively quick centre-halves to make this list. Formerly a Belgium Under-21 international, Engels has had to compete with Ezri Konsa to partner England man Tyrone Mings at the back for Dean Smith’s side.
=4) Kyle Walker – Manchester City, 22.9mph
Unlike Engels, Walker’s inclusion is no surprise. The England man has been sprinting up and down right touchlines for nearly a decade in the Premier League now, but still hasn’t shown signs of slowing down – despite the fact he’ll turn 30 at the end of the season.
3) Phil Foden – Manchester City, 23.1mph
Another speedy Manchester City star, Foden has again had to be feed off scraps in terms of opportunities to play in the Premier League this season. When he has, however, he has registered incredible speed when he sprints. The teen will surely play more for Pep Guardiola’s side as time goes on.
2) Shane Long – Southampton, 23.2mph
Amazingly, Saint-Maximin’s lung-bursting sprint at the end of Sunday’s match that left him crocked was not even the quickest sprint of that game – as Irishman Shane Long beat him by 0.4mph. The diminutive forward may not have the greatest goal-scoring record, but he has proven that even at 32, he can still shift it with the best of them.
1) Caglar Soyuncu – Leicester, 23.3mph
Surprisingly, the fastest player in the Premier League this season has been Caglar Soyuncu. The floppy-haired Leicester defender may look lumbering, but looks can be deceiving. His performances have been immaculate defensively, and he’s even sprinted faster than explosive team-mate Jamie Vardy. Soyuncu is having an incredible season, and has drawn admiring glances from elsewhere in the league.
And boss Bruce said the speed Saint-Maximin clocked just before he went down is the fastest registered by one of his Toon stars.
Newcastle will be without their influential Frenchman for a month — and they have not won a game without him this season.
Bruce said: “He pulled his hamstring doing 36.8kph. I don’t think anybody has run that fast in the Premier League for us before, so what can you do?
“He ran 30, 40, 50 yards to chase the ball. It was proper sprinting.
“We all know he’s got lightning pace and he’s got such a low centre of gravity.
“He’s explosive and when you run the way he does, then you’re always a bit susceptible, I suppose.
“We’ll kick ourselves but, unfortunately, these things happen.”
Saint-Maximin, a £16.5million summer signing from Nice, has started ten Premier League games this season and Newcastle have won six of them.
Bruce, who takes his team to Burnley today, admitted: “We’ll miss him. He’s been terrific. You just have to look at the statistics and the impact he’s made on the team and the way we set up.
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“He gives you that threat which is vitally important to us. He’s been a bit of a talisman over the last few weeks but we have to adapt to it.”
Bruce has confirmed Andy Carroll will start at Turf Moor, having changed the game off the bench against the Saints.
With Saint-Maximin out and Miguel Almiron a doubt, struggling Joelinton could be asked to play on the left for the first time this season, with Christian Atsu also brought into a new-look front three.