Newcastle investigate Allan Saint-Maximin’s selfie to determine if star broke Covid rules

Newcastle United are trying to determine if Allan Saint-Maximin broke Covid-19 quarantine rules after he was pictured with a fan in a supermarket – and the Premier League could take disciplinary action if so.

The 23-year-old recently returned to Tyneside after being allowed to spend Christmas in France as he recovered from the effects of coronavirus.

Sportsmail revealed on Thursday that Saint-Maximin was back on Tyneside and a picture has since surfaced of a supermarket employee taking a selfie with the Newcastle winger.

The Newcastle winger recently returned to Tyneside after recovering from Covid in France

Steve Bruce was not sure if the player was subject to quarantine rules when asked on Friday.

‘I’ll ask the doctor that,’ he said. ‘I think he has been in quarantine. He’s been in the country a while now. I’ll ask the doctor. Whether he had to isolate for 10 days, I’m not so sure.’

But when pressed on the emergence of the picture with the fan, which the club were aware of, Bruce said: ‘I think he had to quarantine for five days, so I’m led to believe. I knew he was back in the country but I’m not so sure on the quarantine period.’

Newcastle have not been able to provide clarity on the situation. The Premier League are also monitoring developments after they wrote to clubs this week warning them that Covid-19 breaches could result in disciplinary action being taken.

Answering a wider question on Premier League players who have broken Covid rules, Bruce said: ‘They’re young people. It’s always difficult to monitor. When they go out, in the big, bad world, it’s very difficult to look after them 24/7.’

Saint-Maximin posted this family photo to Instagram after news of his positive test broke

Magpies boss Steve Bruce (right) is unsure whether the winger has broken quarantine rules

Saint-Maximin is still several weeks away from a return to action after suffering from what Bruce called ‘long-term Covid’ last month.

And the head coach said: ‘The problem is he’s done nothing at all for six or seven weeks. For a footballer to be idle that long, that will cause problems in the long term, too. It is still a long process ahead.’

Meanwhile, Bruce has questioned the ‘morality’ of Premier League football carrying on amid a dramatic rise in Covid-19 cases nationwide.

‘Financially its right to play on, but for me, morally, it’s probably wrong,’ he said.

Bruce admits it’s ‘morally’ wrong for the Premier League to continue amid rising Covid cases

‘I understand people want to see a game of football but we are just as vulnerable as everybody else. I’m vulnerable, aren’t I? I was 60 last week. I’m like everybody else, we all should be worried. I’ve seen two of my staff, who are my sort of age, and how it affected them, and it was pretty scary stuff.

‘The speed which it hit our club within hours of each other, it was quite incredible how it rips through you.’

Sportsmail reported earlier this week that the Premier League had written to clubs reminding them that there would be no break in fixtures while it was deemed safe to play, and that remains the case.