Newcastle winger Allan Saint-Maximin says the death of Ghana star and former teammate Christian Atsu is very painful and he will never forget him.
Atsu played with the French winger when he arrived in 2019, the twilight of the late winger's years at the Premier League club.
After Newcastle United and Liverpool observed a minute of applause in honour of Atsu on Saturday, Maximin was very gentle with his words for his former mate who died as a result of the deadly earthquakes that hit Turkey two weeks ago.
"It's a really sad day for Newcastle and the players. Most of the players know him well - he was a great guy and we had a nice time with him. It's very painful. Some things are difficult for me - I will never forget him.
"It's hard to explain - I will tell you the truth, when I arrived in Newcastle, he was always giving me advice, a very nice guy - he would always joke and smile every day.
"He was a great person. I know him... it's a difficult day for me. I will try to do my best and think about him and do my best."