'The interview I did with Sofoot has been taken out of context'
Newcastle United attacker Allan Saint-Maximin has suggested that his recent interview where he spoke about his teammates was taken out of context.
The Frenchman claimed that he has no reason to be jealous of Liverpool star Sadio Mane in terms of "pure quality", before adding that his statistics would rival those of the Reds man if he had better teammates.
Newcastle star insisted he 'was not jelous' of Mane
Saint-Maximin - who has only scored five goals for the Magpies in the Premier League this season - made his comments in an interview with
French publication So Foot, in which he also claimed that his impact on the pitch is similar to what Michael Jordan brought to the game of basketball.
Liverpool forward Mane has scored 21 goals in all competitions for the Reds this season as Jurgen Klopp's men target an unprecedented quadruple.
However, Saint-Maximin said: "Those who have played alongside me know full well that when it comes to pure quality, I have no cause to be jealous of Sadio Mane.
"But the difference between these great players and me is that they show a lot of things on the pitch.
"The day I get a team-mate who is able to convert the chances I create, I will have 10 to 15 successful assists every season. That will change people’s minds.
"My aim is to do things that leave a mark on people’s minds, and to change the rules.
"In a similar way to what Michael Jordan has managed to do. He has changed people’s lives. Jordan has given motivation to people, and that is beautiful."
Saint-Maximin responds following backlash
Following his controversial interview, the 25-year-old responded by insisting that his comments were taken out of context and 'shortened on Twitter'.
"The interview I did with Sofoot has been taken out of context and shortened on Twitter. I never said anything negative about my teammates, I simply said as any Newcastle fan would that I was looking forward to having an even better team so that we could progress collectively and that as a result I could also progress individually," tweeted Saint-Maximin.
https://twitter.com/asaintmaximin/status/1522508016842641409
The former OGC Nice man also addressed his comments about Mane, adding: "
Here is the end of the sentence on Sadio Mané for more honesty and less buzz "But the difference between them and me is that they show a lot of things on the ground, and as far as I'm concerned, I show less…” it's serious + here's what I said a year ago".
https://twitter.com/asaintmaximin/status/1522525190072188928
Liverpool defeated Newcastle in the Premier League at St. James' Park last weekend, thanks to Naby Keïta's first-half goal.
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