Steve Bruce has stressed that he has always had a good relationship with Allan Saint-Maximin - who the Newcastle United head coach believes is playing as well as anyone in the Premier League at the moment.
While 18th-placed Newcastle have only claimed two points from their opening five games this season, the Magpies would have been rooted to the bottom of the table if it wasn't for Saint-Maximin.
Saint-Maximin's end product has often been questioned, but Newcastle's talisman has been directly involved in two-thirds of the club's goals in the opening weeks of the campaign and his strikes against Southampton and Leeds helped the black-and-whites earn a point apiece.
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Saint-Maximin has relished the freedom Bruce has given him in a central role up front and the 24-year-old went as far as to say he 'loved' his manager last week.
Although Bruce has previously admitted that Saint-Maximin was a 'difficult one to manage', who 'tests you to the limit', the 60-year-old has clearly enjoyed working with the gifted forward.
"Well, when he walked through the door, I said he was going to get all of you off your seat, that he would be a firm favourite," he told reporters on Zoom.
"He's playing as well as anybody can in the Premier League at the moment and when he's playing like this, then, he is a joy to watch.
"He's something different. His pace and power and his balance...and he does things which nobody else can do in the Premier League. It's all natural to him.
"I've always had a good relationship with him. He's a great lad and the one thing about him that I enjoy is he enjoys football more than most.
"It's what he lives for. If you ask him for a result in any game in Spain or Italy, he will know. He will know the team and all the rest of it.
"Let's hope he stays because he's been a joy to watch this year and he's getting better, which is the most important thing."
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