Allan Saint-Maximin may be adored on the streets of Tyneside - but the feeling around the mercurial winger is slightly different in his native France. With the World Cup a matter of months away, attention has naturally turned to who will make the cut for the 32 countries taking part in the winter showpiece.
Saint-Maximin's performances since arriving in the Premier League have made him a popular figure in England. But the 25-year-old hasn't made a single appearance for the French senior side, despite featuring regularly at junior level.
And you can hardly blame Didier Deschamps for the opting against his inclusion, with the French coach having the luxury of choosing from Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, Kingsley Coman, Wissam Ben Yedder, Moussa Diaby, Christopher Nkunku, Anthony Martial, Karim Benzema, Ousmane Dembele and Marcus Thuram in attack.
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But Deschamps having a plethora of superstars at his disposal doesn't seem to be the only reason Saint-Maximin has been overlooked. It is also the attacker's style of play and his lack of European football.
Speaking during the international break, French football pundits served up a large helping of reality to Saint-Maximin and Newcastle fans by obliterating the player and his chances of making the Qatar squad.
“We don’t talk about Saint-Maximin as a top player here,” Christophe Larcher, a journalist at France Football magazine told The Athletic. “We know he is very gifted, but he is seen as selfish and not intelligent on the ball. He needs to fit into the team if Didier Deschamps, the France coach, is going to pick him. He simply hasn’t done enough.”
“Saint-Maximin is very far from the national team,” Martin Mosnier, of Eurosport France, adds. “For Deschamps, you must be proven in the Champions League to play for France. Also, Deschamps has so many options in attack — to the extent that (Arsenal’s) Alexandre Lacazette does not even get a look. It is so competitive, and Saint-Maximin is nowhere near.”
Eddie Howe recently said his winger could '100 per cent' achieve a place in France's monstrous squad. But even the most doting ASM super fan isn't expecting the Newcastle flyer to be at the World Cup later this year.
And by the noises being made across the channel, it looks as though the former Nice star won't even be in the conversation.
