Rob Lee spoke exclusively to Football FanCast as he claims he sees similarities in Allan Saint-Maximin which his former teammate, David Ginola, possessed.
Ginola, like Saint-Maximin, had that flare that gets fans excited and on the edge of their seats, but that does come with its problems, which Lee experienced first hand.
They both could be seen as luxury players in Newcastle United’s team. However, those players can win games on their own, something Lee admitted Ginola was all too good at doing.
Who was better for Newcastle?
Allan Saint-Maximin!
David Ginola!
The former french winger was a standout player under Kevin Keegan before his move to Tottenham Hotspur. However, Lee claims that it could sometimes be frustrating for the other players when Ginola was having a below-average game.
Lee, who made over 300 appearances for Newcastle, admits you have to free the reins on players such as Ginola and Saint-Maximin, telling FFC.
“He’s a bit like David Ginola that we used to have, you had to let him go and do what he wants to do.
“The rest of the team have to understand that sometimes he’s going to be rubbish, sometimes he’s going to lose the ball every time.
“On his day, he could drag the team single-handedly. On another day, he’d be trying to do the same things and be losing the ball and the rest of the team would have to have to cope with that.
“When you have those sort of players you have to let them go, you can’t say to him you’re playing you on the left but you have to always get all the way back because that’s not what he’s good at.
“That’s not why you put him in the team, you put him in the team to attack, to score goals and create goals, not defend for 80 minutes.”
Saint-Maximin has scored six goals and provided a further 10 assists in 46 appearances for Newcastle to date.