Newcastle legend Alan Shearer says he can see parallels between the club’s record signing Alexander Isak and players like Mo Salah and Sadio Mane.

The Swedish international has impressed since joining the Magpies for £63m last summer, despite some injury problems, and Shearer says the 23-year-old isn’t a traditional striker like Manchester City’s Erling Haaland:

“He’s a prime example of what I would call a modern forward, more in the mould of a Mo Salah or Sadio Mane, rather than a [Erling] Haaland, who is the definition of a No.9. Alexander is an athlete, a gymnast, really, as he’s nimble, quick and very good on the ball, able to bring others into the game. He’s very different to Callum [Wilson], who’s more of a poacher, a goalscorer, a centre-forward”

It is certainly an interesting comparison that Shearer makes. While Isak does tend to play more centrally than either Salah or Mane, his skillset is similar in terms of his pace and agility.

Of course, he has a long way to go to match those two players’ achievements when they were together at Liverpool but he is in very good form at the moment.

Ahead of the Manchester United game, Isak had bagged six goals in just 10 league games, and he will be looking to end the season on a high after spending so much time on the treatment table.