The £58m Newcastle United dilemma Eddie Howe needs to address - there’s three options

It’s been a frustrating start to life at Newcastle United for Alexander Isak following his club-record move from Real Sociedad last summer. Although the Swede boasts an impressive record of three goals in three Premier League starts, a lot has gone against him.

Take the moment he first touched down on Tyneside in August, a delay in obtaining a UK work permit delayed Isak’s debut - resulting in him watching the 1-1 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers from the Molineux stands.

Incredibly, the clearance from the UK Home Office didn’t arrive until the afternoon of the Liverpool game, much to the relief of head coach Eddie Howe, who unleashed Isak under the lights at Anfield.

And what a debut. One goal and another marginally ruled out for offside. For every penny of Isak’s sizeable price tag, he looked worth it. Admittedly, Isak didn’t have anywhere near a similar impact in frustrating draws at home to Crystal Palace and Bournemouth back-to-back, although he did find the net from the penalty spot against the latter.

But then came the really tough part. When the season paused for the September international break, little did Newcastle, or Isak, know that would be his last appearance for three months. He was hit with a thigh injury, and just as he was closing in on a return a month later, a re-injury occurred.

It is understandably why Howe has opted to ease Isak back into the fold since his January return. And after following up a last-minute winner against Fulham with a classy assist to help United draw first blood in their Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg against Southampton, the former Borussia Dortmund man had finally built up ahead of steam.

So, imagine his luck when a blow to the head from blocking James Ward-Prowse’s free-kick during that second-leg decider forced him to miss last Saturday’s 1-1 draw against West Ham United due to concussion protocols.

It was only a minor setback, of course, but Isak will hope the bad luck ends there, and he can really begin to ignite his Newcastle United career and repay the faith that saw the club splash out a £58million deal.

But to do that, he needs to start games. The question is, how does he get into Howe’s starting XI? We take a look at the potential routes.

Changing formation

This is a non-starter currently given Howe’s preferred 4-3-3 formation has lifted Newcastle to third in the Premier League table, and to their first cup final in 24 years.

However, recent performances - rightly or wrongly - have raised some concerns over the Magpies’ lack of goals. Maybe a system suited to getting more attacking players on the pitch could be considered somewhere down the line.

"We’re always open, never closed off to formations,” Howe told NewcastleWorld. “Formations, for me, are just a vehicle for you to play, they’re not the be-all or end-all in terms of I’m fixated on one.

“I’ve been consistent with this season’s selection because we’ve been successful and the team’s dynamic and relationship have been really good in terms of our partnerships and how we play.

“We’re open but at the moment, I wouldn’t see a need to dramatically change what we’re doing. But who knows what happens in the future."

The battle for the No.9 spot

Ultimately, Isak was brought to the football club to play as the central striker, but let’s not forget he faces very stiff competition from the Premier League-proven Callum Wilson.

With Isak unavailable and supporters commenting on Wilson’s post-World Cup form, there’s an argument to say the England man’s goal against West Ham to end his 11-match drought couldn’t have been better timed.

“I’m sure it was important to him,” Howe said. “Callum’s the same on the training pitch - he’s bright, bubbly and you can hear his laughter through the training ground every day.

“He’s such a positive guy, that didn’t change the fact he hadn’t scored. It didn’t change his self-belief, he’s got high confidence levels at all times but I do think that goal was important to him, probably a relief and now hopefully he can kick on”

Still, all eyes will remain on the 30-year-old should Isak continue to impress. Howe has a great deal of loyalty towards Wilson given the pair’s longstanding relationship but the former Bournemouth boss isn’t afraid to make tough decisions.

Wide position

By Isak’s own admission, this isn’t his favoured position, although there have been signs to suggest he can perform the role to a high standard - just take his assist at Southampton for example when sprinted past Duje Caleta-Car to race into the area and set up Joelinton from six yards.

But again, he faces competition. Joelinton can play either on the left wing or in central midfield, while Miguel Almiron is currently the club’s top scorer this term, although the fact he hasn’t found the net since Boxing Day could give Howe some food for thought.

The jury is out on Allan Saint-Maximin having divided opinion on his first Premier League start since August last Saturday. Jacob Murphy is also an option, though the former Norwich City winger fully accepts his current role as an impact substitute.

“We can possibly play Alex in a number of positions,” Howe said. “He can play as an out-an-out No.9 or as a second striker, like he did against Fulham. Or he can play wide but that probably wouldn’t be his favoured position. That versatility is one of the things that attracted us to him in the first place.”