Steve Bruce hints at Miguel Almiron decision

Bruce admitted that the Newcastle United midfielder looked “short on confidence” after Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Chelsea.

Newcastle didn’t have a shot on target at Stamford Bridge, where Marcus Alonso scored the only goal of the game.

Bruce sent on Andy Carroll and fit-again Dwight Gayle, and the pair are in his thinking for Sunday’s home game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

However, United’s head coach has hinted that Almiron will keep his place.

“We’ve got options now,” said Bruce. “Andy and Dwight both came on, and we have options in the final third now. It’s only the second game for Allan (Saint-Maximin) too, and he’s got a lot of fitness work to catch up on.

“We’re hoping that he can stay well, because is a threat, and of course Almiron is a very decent player too. He looks a little bit short on confidence at the moment, because he hasn’t scored a goal. We hope that can return, but it only really returns when he gets one, which will hopefully be next week.”

Saint-Maximin caused problems for Chelsea with his pace and trickery.

“He’s a constant threat,” said Bruce. “He gets you on the edge of your seat – and can do something that many people can’t. He’s a bit unpredictable, and we have to find the finished product from him.

“But when you talk about Chelsea’s youngsters, you have to remember that he’s 22, as well. We’ve got a few young players who can only get better.

“It’s about making the right choices. When we got into the final third, we had some wonderful opportunities, but it was a case of ‘if only’.

“Unfortunately, that happens too much. We’ve got to improve on that, but they’re young. Allan is 22, Jo (Joelinton) is 23, so they’re young players, we know that. We’ve got a very young squad at the minute, which is great.

“But the one thing they will have to do is improve, and hopefully that will make sure we get the goals we need to take us to where we want to be.”