Eddie Howe thinks the best is yet to come from Isak

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Eddie Howe believes that Newcastle United are yet to see the best out of record-signing Alexander Isak.

While Isak‘s start to life at Newcastle has been blighted by injury, we have seen flashes of what he can do the few times we’ve seen him play. Now, when speaking to the media, Eddie Howe has hinted that the best is yet to come from the £63m ace.

Newcastle’s record signing is “Not at his optimum”

Howe spoke of Isak’s development, telling the assembled press: “He’s improving with more training sessions and more understanding of what we want from him. He’s still probably not at his optimum but he’s getting close. He’s got so much to give us and he’ll add a different dimension to our team.”

Isak’s debut against Liverpool is still probably the best we’ve seen of him since he arrived in August. The lanky Swede found the net twice in that game with one of those strikes cruelly ruled out for offside. Dion Dublin praised Isak’s first goal on BBC Sport calling the finish ‘unbelievable‘.

With Newcastle struggling for goals lately, getting our strikers finding the onion bag again must be a top priority for Howe and his staff, and unlocking that ‘different dimension’ is key. Whether Howe has devised a way that Isak and Callum Wilson can play together or if he will continue to play just one up top, the fact is, whoever he chooses simply has to start scoring.

Is it time to go with two up top?

We saw Wilson and Isak link up brilliantly against Fulham with the former Bournemouth man squaring the ball for Isak to nod home. It can be done, so why not try it out for a full game?

Obviously, there’s a huge risk involved there given the injury record of both players, it would be a huge gamble to play both knowing that we are so short of back-up, but sometimes you just have to take a risk. It might not be the right time to try that out against Manchester City tomorrow, but maybe soon.