Allan Saint-Maximin admits what Eddie Howe wouldn’t about Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup final

Newcastle are currently preparing for their first major tournament final in 24 years as they face Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on Sunday (4:30pm kick-off). But The Magpies’ Premier League form has suffered slightly since their place in the final was confirmed last month.

Still, Saint-Maximin feels the squad have continued to remain professional despite having a huge game on the horizon.

“Yeah, for sure, I'm not going to lie, we [were] thinking about the final but we are professional and we know the league is so important as well,” he said earlier in the month. “Every game comes and we just try to be focused and try to win the game.

"We train very hard during the week and the coach helps us a lot with the small details to give us the opportunity to have more chance to win the game.”

Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe previously said the Carabao Cup final wasn't part of his thinking while his side still had Premier League matches to play. But he had been inundated with ticket requests for Wembley Stadium.

And Saint-Maximin has been no different.

“A lot, a lot,” the 25-year-old responded when asked if he’d had any ticket requests himself. “We know how big it is for the club and the fans deserve to be there.”

Saint-Maximin will be hoping to be named in the starting line-up for Newcastle on Sunday despite playing a bit-part role in the campaign so far.

"Every time when I step on the pitch, I just try to give my best and try to not let my team down,” he continued. “All the players have the same philosophy that we all talk about and say that we will never let down any player.

"Anything can happen but we will fight for it and that is the mentality of the team and that's why we are there at the moment. If we keep doing that then I'm sure we're going to win a lot of games.”