‘He doesn’t care’ - Alan Shearer shocked after meeting Alexander Isak

Labelling the goal machine as an “assassin”, the Toon icon doubled down on claims that he is a world-class striker. Shearer put Isak in the same bracket as Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland on Match of the Day last weekend.

This provoked debate on social media, with rival fans highlighting the length of time those players have been delivering at the highest level. But with 25 goals last year and 19 strikes already this season, Shearer believes the Swede belongs among the best.

Newcastle’s all-time leading goalscorer also liked variety when finding the back of the net. Speaking to BBC Sport, Shearer admitted he was left in awe by his current incarnation at St James’ Park.

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“One of the things that makes him (Isak) pretty unique as a player is that he has scored all sorts of fantastic goals, including his second against Southampton on Saturday,” he said. “That has to be up there too because of his fantastic first touch, and the way it played the ball perfectly into his path to get his shot away.

“Like me though, he doesn't care too much if his goals are spectacular or not, as long as they go in. He's like an assassin, the way he puts chances away, but what I really liked from talking to him is that you can tell he is still looking for ways to improve his game at the age of 25.

“Aggression is part of his game, the same as his skill on the ball or his intelligence to drop deep or make runs and stretch defences. He can handle himself physically, and he is quite comfortable dealing with speculation about his future too.

“I think he finds it complimentary that people are saying that other clubs want him because of how well he is doing, but none of that talk comes from him, and he is certainly not letting it affect his form.”