Eddie Howe reveals why Newcastle United's Allan Saint-Maximin had to come off against Nottingham Forest

Saint-Maximin was replaced at the break in last night's 2-1 win at the City Ground. Howe sent on Elliot Anderson ahead of striker Callum Wilson – and the midfielder had a goal controversially ruled out following a VAR check.

And Howe revealed why Saint-Maximin had to come off after seeing Alexander Isak claim all three points with an injury-time penalty.

“Allan wasn’t quite right today, physically, I didn’t think," said United’s head coach. “He’s been carrying a tight hamstring. I don’t think it’s a pull, it’s just a little bit of tightness.

"For me, it was obvious during that first half that he probably wouldn’t be able to carry on. I didn’t want to expose Callum today, he hasn’t done a lot of training, so I decided to go with Elliot and he repaid me, he did really well. Hopefully, we’ll have Callum and Maxi fit and available after the international break.”