Eddie Howe issues Newcastle United update on Allan Saint-Maximin ahead of Crystal Palace

Saint-Maximin came on for the second half of yesterday’s 1-0 win over Fulham at St James’s Park.

The winger – who hasn’t started a Premier League game since late August due to injury and the form of others – could come into contention for a start against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday, with Guimaraes seemingly facing a spell on the sidelines.

Match-winner Alexander Isak – who scored an 89th-minute winner on what was his first league appearance since September – came off the bench later in the half along with Jacob Murphy, and Howe spoke about the impact of his substitutes after the game.

“Jacob’s never let us down,” said United's head coach. “He comes on, and, for me, he's a very, very positive person, and he's influenced the team this year, so I'm really pleased with his impact in that.

“I thought Maxi was very good. He gave us a different dimension, and gave them a different problem on the left-hand side, so I'm pleased with his impact, and obviously Alex has scored the goal so yes, a good day for them.”

On club-record signing Isak, Howe added: “I'm really pleased for him personally to get that goal. It's a big moment in our season.

“The difficulty for him is he's had a period of time out of the team and he's had to watch the team do really well.

"That's never an easy thing to do for an injured player.”