Newcastle United are set to face former Toon striker Aleksandar Mitrovic this weekend, and Eddie Howe has heaped praise on Fulham’s number nine.
The Serbian is enjoying a sensational start to the season, and has played a key role in Fulham’s impressive return to the top flight.
They are currently sixth in the Premier League, winning 11 points from their opening seven games. And they also have one of the league’s most prolific strikers.
Erling Haaland leads the goalscoring charts with 11, which is an obscene tally at this stage in the season. Then in joint second place is Harry Kane and Mitrovic. They both have six so far.
Mitrovic has picked up from where he left off last season, when he broke the Championship goalscoring record. He found the net 43 times in 44 games.
And with six goals in his opening seven Premier League games, he’s well on his way to achieve his best ever tally in the top flight. The most he’s ever scored in the Premier League is 11.
Next on the agenda for Mitrovic is a game against his former employers Newcastle, and Howe is well aware of his ability.
Howe on Mitrovic
Ahead of the game, Howe was asked why he thinks Fulham have enjoyed such a strong start to the season. And he look no further than the former Newcastle striker.
I think firstly, their centre forward, (Aleksandar) Mitrovic, last year had an incredible season but he’s carried that form into this, not just for his club but for his country,” he said.
“If you have a striker in that form, with the potency that he has at the moment, that’s a really good foundation for success.”
Newcastle face tough task in stopping Mitrovic
If Newcastle can keep Mitrovic at bay then they’ve got a chance against Fulham. But the 28-year-old will be eager to prove himself against his former side.
Mitrovic joined the Magpies in 2015 and was a real fan favourite at St James’ Park. However, he certainly failed to live up to expectations in black and white.
After he two and a half seasons he was loaned out, then Fulham bought him permanently for £22million in 2018. And he’s never looked back.
Toon fans have always wondered ‘what if‘ when it comes to Mitrovic, but only now is he showing the maturity that was missing when he was at Newcastle.
He has really kicked on over the past couple of years, and looks like the player Newcastle thought they had signed back in 2015.
But dwelling on the past won’t fix anything. All Howe can do is focus on the present, and he needs to find a way of keeping the ‘incredible’ Mitrovic at bay.
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