Newcastle United issue Allan Saint-Maximin injury update

Saint-Maximin suffered a setback from a long-term hamstring injury after making his comeback off the bench against Brentford at St James’s Park earlier this month.

And the 25-year-old – whose Newcastle career has been punctuated by hamstring problems – hopes to return before the Premier League breaks for the World Cup next month.

Howe – who is also without striker Alexander Isak (thigh) – addressed Saint-Maximin’s return ahead of Sunday’s game away to Tottenham Hotspur.

Asked if he could play before the World Cup break, United’s head coach said: “We hope so. I haven’t seen too much of Maxi the last few days, because we’ve been preparing for the games, but I think he's making good progress. He’s very focused on his recovery. He’s working very hard with the physios here to get his injury right.”