Striker was ruthlessly axed by Newcastle United, now he’s outshining Alexander Isak with 37 goals in 2024

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Newcastle United have had their fair share of gems in the past.

For some players, they will never reach their full potential playing for certain clubs under a particular tactical style. It was the case for Chris Wood when he was managed by Eddie Howe at Newcastle United.

Wood struggled with Howe’s fast, intense style of football at times and his form in front of goal suffered as a result. He was sold to Nottingham Forest and has since been one of the best players in the Premier League.

Newcastle striker Alexander Isak has been sensational for the Magpies this campaign, scoring 17 goals league goals and breaking the club record for the most goals in consecutive games.

Isak could sign a fresh Newcastle deal in the summer that will make him Newcastle’s top earner. The benefit for Howe is that he will have his star man tied down to a long-term contract to deter interest from the likes of Arsenal.

While Newcastle have a player who is beaming with quality, a former Toon striker who was shunned by Rafael Benitez completely outshone the Swede in 2024 with his impressive attacking return.

Aleksandar Mitrovic outscored Alexander Isak in 2024

Former Newcastle striker Aleksandar Mitrovic was a fan favourite during his time at the club and a cult hero now he has left.

The Serbian international spent four years at the Magpies before moving to Fulham on a permanent deal in 2019. His move to the Capital was where he truly showed what he was capable of. In 206 Fulham appearances, Mitrovic scored 111 goals in all competitions.

His exceptional record earned him a big-money move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal where he remains now. At 30 years old, Mitrovic has continued his impressive goalscoring record, netting 37 times in 2024.

Mitrovic’s attacking returns were even better than Isak’s throughout the calendar year – Isak scored a mere 26 goals in all competitions, including 23 in the Premier League. Mitrovic even scored more goals than Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League last year.

Although he was a fan favourite, Mitrovic’s time at Newcastle came to an abrupt end when former Toon boss Benitez sold him to Fulham. Benitez told Sky Sports that he did not regret the decision to sell him, despite his exceptional form away from the club.

Despite the unfortunate exit, Mitrovic still loves Newcastle and the fans. He claimed that Newcastle fans ‘live’ for football.

What Eddie Howe said about Aleksandar Mitrovic

Mitrovic’s Newcastle career ended before Howe joined the club in 2021. Fans would have loved to see what he could have done if he had the chance to work his magic on him.

Howe is a big fan of Mitrovic – he praised him for his form while he was at Fulham back in 2022.

He said: “I think firstly, their centre forward, (Aleksandar) Mitrovic, last year had an incredible season but he’s carried that form into this (2022/23 campaign), not just for his club but for his country.”

“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.”

The Serbian never forgot about his time on Tyneside. Mitrovic called himself a ‘Geordie boy’ after beating Sunderland in the FA Cup during the 2022/23 season.

Mitrovic looked on for another sensational season in Saudi Arabia but is currently on the sidelines with a hamstring problem.