The Athletic have released an in-depth piece on Alexander Isak, featuring some fascinating quotes from Alan Shearer; THE man to listen to when it comes to scoring goals at St James’ Park.
Our former No 9 believes our club-record signing is now un-droppable, praising his athleticism, pace, quality on the ball and ability to ‘bring others into the game.’
He’s compared Isak to ‘modern forwards’ like Mo Salah and Sadio Mane, explaining why he offers something completely different to Callum Wilson; who he describes as more of a ‘poacher.’
Shearer predicts the Swede will “only get better”, reminding fans that he’s missed a lot of football through injury and is still getting used to the “rhythm and intensity” of Premier League football, believing he’ll have a big career at Newcastle and develop into a “top player.”
The Match of the Day star has also praised his header against Wolves – a moment of real quality that showed another side of his game – and has encouraged the 23-year-old to get into the six-yard box more. Here’s what he’s had to say:
“The manager can’t leave him out now. Not with the form he’s in, the quality he’s shown, the goals he’s scored and how dangerous he looks. The Forest performance really demonstrated what he’s all about.”
“He’s a prime example of what I would call a modern forward, more in the mould of a Mo Salah or Sadio Mane, rather than a Haaland, who is the definition of a No 9. Alexander is an athlete — a gymnast, really — as he’s nimble, quick and very good on the ball, able to bring others into the game. He’s very different to Callum, who’s more of a poacher, a goalscorer, a centre-forward.
“Alexander’s all-round attributes are impressive and I can see him going on to have a very successful career at Newcastle. We have to remember it’s still early for him. He’s missed a lot of time through injury and has to become accustomed to the intense rhythm of the Premier League by playing a sustained run of games.
“Do that and without doubt, there is a top player in there. He’s only going to get better.”
Big Al then commented on his header against Wolves; the type of goal he very rarely produced during his time in Spain but a finish that shows his capabilities in the air:
“That might not have been natural for him, but the encouraging thing is it’s definitely in his locker. If you do it once, you can do it again. It’s something you can work on.”
Finally, Shearer added that more goals will come if he can “spend more time in the six-yard box”, believing that will come as he adapts to the role and develops as a striker.
