Newcastle United's Alexander Isak celebrates scoring their first goal
Journalist Charlie Bennett is buzzing over the news that Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak has been nominated for the Premier League‘s POTM award.
The Lowdown: Isak nomination
As shared on the Premier League’s official Twitter page, Isak is one of six nominees for the Player of the Month (POTM) award for March, along with Brighton and Hove Albion’s Alexis Mac Allister, Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings, Liverpool’s Mo Salah and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard.
The Sweden international scored two goals in his last match away at Nottingham Forest in the top flight last Friday, which came after a goal at home to Wolves in the previous game week, helping Newcastle win both in the process.
The Latest: Bennett buzzing
Taking to Twitter, Bennett has been left buzzing over the update, claiming that Isak’s nomination is ‘wholly deserved’:
“Alexander Isak nominated for PL player of the month. Wholly deserved. The frustrating – but equally exciting – thing is Newcastle fans have only seen glimpses of his quality.
“Immense quality. Imagine him at 26/27/28.”
The Verdict: Finding his feet
Isak is finally starting to find his feet at St. James’ Park since his club-record £63m move from Real Sociedad last summer.
The striker unfortunately missed a large chunk of the season with injury, but showed early signs of what he is capable of, scoring in two in his first three appearances for the club, including on his debut at Anfield against Liverpool.
Aside from his goals, Isak ranks in the top 11% of all forwards for a number of key metrics for forwards in Europe’s top five leagues over the last year, including progressive carries, successful take-ons, touches and progressive passes received per game.
Nonetheless, if the Magpies want to give themselves the best chance of finishing in the top four and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the next campaign, then they need to keep Isak fit.
About the Author
