Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe insisted from the very start that he planned to play £63million striker Alexander Isak and £20million number 9 Callum Wilson together.
Quite where the duo would line up together is another question, but Howe has already given an indication in Newcastle's last game against AFC Bournemouth. Amid the late game panic and desperation for points, as striker Chris Wood was thrown on in stoppage time, United made a barely noticed tweak to their system in attack.
Isak was nudged to the left while Wood took the central role - which could well be the way Howe deals with the return of Wilson after the international break. Howe said on Saturday: "He was a little bit isolated and we didn’t get him involved enough in the key areas where he wants to be involved. Alex is a versatile player, and we moved him briefly to the wide left when Chris Wood came on. He can play in a slightly deeper role as well, so there is flexibility with him."
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Whatever Howe decides, the service for Isak must improve. He's scored twice since arriving from Real Sociedad with a well-taken goal at Liverpool and an ice-cool penalty against Bournemouth but his body language was telling after making runs for no reward last Saturday.
Howe said: "We didn’t feed him the ball early enough. He was a little bit isolated, and we didn’t get him involved enough in the key areas where he wants to be involved."
Isak has played as a centre-forward 206 times in his career, as right-winger on three occasions and left-winger just once.
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