Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has outlined Allan Saint-Maximin's role for the rest of the term.

The Frenchman has been in and out of the first team under Howe this season.

He was even linked with a move away from the club during the January transfer window.

Howe said to reporters during a news conference: "It's going to be huge for him personally, and huge for us that we get him in the best possible place to play.

“Physically, I think he's in a good place now, probably the best he's been since his injury.

"It was a difficult injury for him because he didn't just injure his hamstring once, he injured it twice. So that really did delay his comeback. I do think he's looked really good from the bench in recent weeks, and hopefully, that has helped his confidence levels so that he can play a different role for us.

"There's competition for places, and that's what we need in every position because you know that one bad game or a couple of bad games can leave you out of the team and give someone an opportunity to take your place. "Hopefully, that will help us in what will be a congested second half of the season."