Eddie Howe’s responded to speculation linking Manchester United with a move for Allan Saint-Maximin.

The Newcastle United winger had his best game yet under Howe on Sunday, when he set up all three of his team’s goals in a 3-3 draw against Manchester City.

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A report in France linked Man United with a move for the 25-year-old, who is under contract at Newcastle until 2026.

And Howe made his position clear on Saint-Maximin when asked about his future ahead of tomorrow night’s Carabao Cup tie against Tranmere Rovers.

“We’re trying to build the squad,” said United’s head coach. “We don’t want to weaken our team.”

Howe described Saint-Maximin’s performance against City as “electric” after the game.

“I thought today was a very, very good performance from Maxi, his best performance, I think, since I’ve been managing him,” said Howe. “He got every aspect of his game in a very good place. His pace was there. You could see he was electric. His decision-making with the ball was very good. He defended well. I thought he gave a great display. In that form, he gives us a totally different dimension.

placeholder image — Newcastle United's Allan Saint-Maximin.

"The challenge for Maxi is ‘can you bring that game every week?’. Not just in flashes. That will dictate how good a season he has.”

Saint-Maximin said: “It was one of (my best performances). You know I'm capable of playing like that. I just try to listen to my team-mates, as they help me a lot. A very good goal was made for Callum Wilson and a good one for Miggy (Miguel Almiron). I’ll just keep doing what I love to do.”