Newcastle have struggled badly for goals this season, managing to find the net just five times from their opening eight games, with only one of those coming from a striker.
It is the second worst record in the Premier League, with only bottom of the table Watford’s four goals ranking lower.
So it is ironic that former Newcastle strikers top the goal-scoring charts of both the Championship and League One, particularly when neither of them were deemed good enough to play for the Toon.
Aleksandar Mitrovic has scored eight times for Fulham in the second tier, having had 32 attempts, 47 per cent of which were on target.
Outcast by Rafa Benitez, it became inevitable that he would be sold, and his move to Fulham has worked out well for him, despite the club’s slip out of the Premier League.
Ivan Toney has scored more league goals in English football than any other player, with him currently being the only striker to have hit double figures.
From his superb 40 attempts on goal, 50 per cent have been on target, with half of that amount resulting in his 10 goals.
It has been quite a resurgence from the player signed as a raw 19-year-old talent by Steve McClaren for £250,000 in 2015, having been scouted extensively by Graham Carr.
His move was followed by loan moves to four clubs on various occasions, which resulted in a permanent move to Peterborough in the summer of 2018.
Should Toney have been given more of a chance at Newcastle?
It is easy to look back in hindsight, but in Toney’s case especially, the decision to not give him more of an opportunity at St James Park, is baffling.
He is now showing signs of the ability that persuaded Newcastle to sign him in the first place, and much of his inability to shine on Tyneside could be down to the sheer number of loan moves, meaning he was rarely able to settle, secure of his future plans.
Of course, the cynical view would be that both he and Mitrovic have now found their relative ability levels in the Championship and League One.
But while Mitrovic could still do a job for a number of clubs in their top divisions around the world, it will be very interesting to follow the progress of Toney, in the coming months and years.
If his form continues, he could well have a few sides in the top two divisions taking a chance on him, and only then will we see what Newcastle let get away.
He could turn out to be one of those sales that come back to haunt us in the future, and only time will tell.
But how our new number nine, who cost Newcastle 160 times more than they paid for English football’s current leading scorer, could do with some of those goals right now.
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