Journalist Jordan Cronin believes it would be harsh for Eddie Howe to drop Allan Saint-Maximin for Newcastle United's cup final bout.
The Lowdown: Saint-Maximin has given Howe a selection headache
Prior to their defeat the weekend, not many people would have been too surprised to see Saint-Maximin demoted to the bench for the Carabao Cup final if everyone else was fit, but his display last Saturday was too good to be ignored.
The winger was handed the Player of the Match award after starring against Liverpool, and that may have placed some doubt into the mind of Howe ahead of what is probably the biggest game of his managerial career.
Newcastle have not won a piece of silverware since 1969 and have never played at the redeveloped Wembley in a cup final, so whatever players are handed the opportunity to start, they will understand the magnitude of the task.
The Latest: Howe must be ruthless
There is no room for sentiment come Sunday afternoon, and if Joe Willock is back fit, immediately reinstating him into the starting lineup alongside Bruno Guimaraes would hardly be a surprise. However, that would somewhat harshly relegate Saint-Maximin to the bench in the eyes of Cronin.
Speaking on the Loaded Mag YouTube channel, he said: "It would be harsh on Saint-Maximin, but you look at the team that Newcastle have played this season, and it's been a regular starting XI with Joelinton on the left, and they've been defensively solid.
"I think in a game against Manchester United where Manchester United are probably going to be the dominant force in that game - probably harsh to say that of Newcastle because look, there's not much between the teams in the league, but I think over the last couple of weeks, you've seen Manchester United really excel and Newcastle have hit a bit of a lull, so I think we've got to be really wary of that.
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"I think we've got to go back to that defensive solidity that has served the team so well and got them to this stage - and that includes Joelinton on the left and Joe Willock in the middle."
The Verdict: Joelinton will be better suited for Sunday
Some fans may well be clamouring for Saint-Maximin to start on Sunday given the excitement he can cause - which he showed on Saturday - but we think the most practical and sensible move would be to start Joelinton out wide.
When Saint-Maximin was struggling to get into the starting lineup, Newcastle were firing on all cylinders, so that would suggest reverting back to basics is what Howe must do.
If the game is tight or the Magpies are chasing a goal, knowing that someone of Saint-Maximin's ability can come off the bench will be reassuring for Howe as he is a potential impact option, although it's unlikely the Frenchman will be content with just getting a cameo role.