Eddie Howe has absolutely no intention of starting 24-year-old on the wing – journalist

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The injury to Harvey Barnes is not going to lead to Eddie Howe playing Alexander Isak on the left wing.

That is the view of journalist Craig Hope, who does think the Newcastle United manager wants to play Isak and Callum Wilson at the same time from the start.

The strikers have rarely been used alongside each other over the past year, as they battle it out for the one and only forward space in Howe’s starting XI.

There were times last season when Wilson and Isak did play together, but that saw the latter deployed on the left wing rather than as a central striker.

We have seen that happen at times this season too, most recently at the San Siro during Newcastle’s 0-0 draw with AC Milan in the Champions League.

However, that was an in-game change, and it is actually a tactical decision that Howe does not want to use from kickoff.

Alexander Isak will not start on the left for Newcastle

Daily Mail reporter Craig Hope has been doing a Q&A, and was asked about the possibility of Isak and Wilson starting alongside each other.

“Can they play together? Yes,” he wrote.

“Isak on the left and Wilson through the middle. Does Eddie want to do this? No. He sees that combination as an in-game change, and it has been used well to turn results in Newcastle’s favour.”

Howe’s decision makes sense

It is definitely a great option to have during a game if Newcastle are chasing a goal and Howe wants both of his strikers on the pitch without changing his system.

However, it makes sense that Howe does not want to start games with Isak on the left. He has plenty of players who can operate out there, even with Barnes set to miss the next few months with an injury. For example, we could see Joelinton play out there.

It is frustrating that Isak and Wilson do not start alongside each other, but the 4-3-3 formation works so well that it would be a risk to change it. And when one of them is starting, it pushes the other to have a much bigger impact off the bench.

Our two strikers dovetail brilliantly, which is why they have got seven goals between them already this season.

No matter how many goals they score, do not expect to see Isak starting games on the left of attack.