Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe could now be tempted to start Alexander Isak regularly, believes journalist Dean Jones.
The striker is yet to nail down a permanent spot in the Magpies’ first XI, with injuries partly to blame, but he really impressed in his side’s 2-1 win over Wolves last time out.
Newcastle news — Alexander Isak
As per Transfermarkt, Isak’s appearance against Julen Lopetegui’s men was only his sixth in the Premier League this season.
The 23-year-old, who joined Newcastle from Real Sociedad last summer in a deal worth £60m, as reported by BBC Sport, has missed a lot of action because of a hamstring injury.
However, he was fit enough to start in the Tyneside club’s victory versus Wolves and make an impact, opening the scoring on the day.
“The real standout for me has been the man at the top of the pitch, Isak,” Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports (via The Boot Room) when discussing the player’s first-half performance last Sunday.
What has Dean Jones said about Alexander Isak, Eddie Howe, and Newcastle?
Jones thinks Howe could now be tempted to hand Isak, who’s currently competing against Callum Wilson for a place in the Newcastle team, a regular starting spot.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: “There has to be a temptation for Howe to throw him in now from the start. We know that Isak’s got unbelievable quality.
“Adjusting and adapting to the Premier League is never easy, especially when it’s been a disruptive start like the one that he’s had, but Howe has shown that he’s very good at managing players that are new to the squad and he knows when it’s the right time to throw them in. So I think Newcastle fans just have to trust him on this one.”
Will Alexander Isak become Newcastle’s first-choice striker?
It’d be a surprise if he didn’t. After all, the Magpies spent a lot of money on the Sweden international, who’s on a £120,000-a-week contract at St James’ Park, according to Capology.
He obviously has the ability to as well, showing his quality in that recent win against Wolves. As long as Isak stays fit, in the near future, you’d expect him to be Newcastle’s leading man.
For now, though, there’s probably going to be quite a bit of rotating between the ex-Borussia Dortmund star and Wilson as Howe tries to manage the former really carefully.
