ALLAN SAINT-MAXIMIN has opened up about recent speculation linking him to AC Milan after ending his exile from Newcastle’s starting XI.
The much-loved French winger, 25, started for the first time in five-months in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to West Ham.
He has suffered hamstring issues which initially ruled him out of action and then he was forced to make do with a place on the bench due to Newcastle’s stunning form in the Premier League and Carabao Cup.
With the Magpies keen to try and offload some talents in order to make room for new additions, rumours began circulating that AC Milan were keen on signing Saint-Maximin.
Now the speedster has revealed all about his frustrations and the interest of the Serie A giants, who made several enquiries for him.
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But he is adamant that he was only ever interested in regaining his place under Eddie Howe, who has also stressed that he wanted to keep the ex-Monaco and Nice ace at the club.
As quoted by the Northern Echo, Saint-Maximin said: “I want to be honest because I’m not going to lie.
“When you are in the situation, a lot of teams can see that and think it’s the right opportunity to come and buy the player.
“But I’m very proud to be here, and the most important thing for me is to play. I will always try to be in a position where I play every game because no player plays football to be on the bench.
“Sometimes, though, you need to understand the situation. When I was playing, the team did not lose a game and I did my job, but when I was not there, the team kept playing well and didn’t lose either.”
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Saint-Maximin continued: “The manager’s choice makes sense because I got an injury.
“I didn’t lose any game when I was on the pitch (at the start of the season), and this is something very, very important for me. The coach knows that.
“That’s why I have a very good relationship with him, because he knows what I’m capable of.
“But when I came back from injury, the team was winning a lot of games, so they have a lot of credit to keep going.”
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Newcastle sealed a place at Wembley last week when they beat Southampton to set-up a Carabao Cup final date with Manchester United on February 26.
However, even though Saint-Maximin admits the players have been talking about their chance to end the club’s long trophy drought, he says they are not taking their eye off the ball in the top-flight.
He added: “I’m not going to lie, we think about the final, but we are professional.
“We know the league is so important, so every game, we try to be focused and win.”