Steve Bruce 'may have to be clever' with the amount of minutes he gives Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin between now and the end of the season.
That is the verdict of former Newcastle United midfielder Jermaine Jenas who lauded the pair's impact from the bench in Sunday's crucial 2-1 win at Burnley.
Wilson (hamstring) and Saint-Maximin (groin) have both recently recovered from injury and started the clash at Turf Moor on the bench.
But with Newcastle 1-0 down, Bruce made a double substitution in the 57th minute as the pair replaced Joelinton and Dwight Gayle up front.
Within eight minutes, Newcastle had flipped the game on its head with Saint-Maximin providing the equaliser for Jacob Murphy before firing United ahead with a stunning solo goal.
And Jenas believes there was a noticeable change in how aggressive Burnley's defenders were before the introduction of Wilson and Saint-Maximin, compared to after they entered the pitch.
“When we look at Dwight Gayle and Joelinton at the top end of the pitch, I think what the issue was is that Ben Mee and Tarkowski felt comfortable against them," Jenas told Match of the Day 2.
"So, they get tight, knowing that if it goes into their feet, then they can steal it and if it goes into the channel, then we’re quite happy to have that race as well.
"When these two boys (Wilson and ASM) came on to the pitch, it was a different ball game altogether, I think that back four had something to think about then.
"Burnley have dropped off a yard because they’ve got pace, those two, and when teams do that, gaps and spaces open up everywhere.”
Wilson is Newcastle's top goalscorer, while Saint-Maximin is by far and away the Magpies' most talented player.
Clearly, they will be instrumental in Newcastle's bid to avoid the drop with Sunday's win lifting them six points clear of the relegation zone but Jenas feels with their recent injury history, Bruce must still box clever with their game-time.
“If you look at the run-in they’ve got - West Ham, Liverpool, Arsenal - they’re going to need that pace, the energy, what those two subs brought on today to add that different dynamic because it’s a huge run-in," Jenas added.
“Steve Bruce may have to be clever and think that he cannot play them for 90 minutes for the rest of the season and just use them in chunks when he desperately needs them.”
