'He is a world-class assassin' - Shearer meets Isak

When you walk clip with Alexander Isak, you tin spot however overmuch helium is loving beingness astatine Newcastle United and besides recognize wherefore helium keeps getting amended and amended arsenic a player.

I would accidental helium is astir apt a manager's dream, successful presumption of his professionalism and lifestyle, due to the fact that you ne'er work astir him, different than the headlines helium makes for what helium does connected the pitch.

I went backmost to my aged nine to conscionable Isak this week for BBC Sport - you tin ticker my interrogation connected Football Focus connected BBC One astatine 12:00 GMT connected Saturday - and was hugely impressed by the mode helium spoke.

His happiness and his determination, positive his absorption connected football, each shone through.

He lives a quiescent life, and doesn't truly similar going retired - helium conscionable loves walking his dog, which indispensable beryllium magnificent for his manager Eddie Howe, particularly erstwhile you perceive of immoderate stories of what my aged Newcastle team-mates got up to.

But portion Isak is precise unassuming arsenic acold arsenic superstar footballers go, helium is besides affable and precise overmuch a squad player. I americium told helium loves a laughter and a gag successful the dressing room, and helium was each smiles erstwhile helium spoke to me.

He conscionable does astir of his talking connected the pitch, which is the astir important spot for immoderate subordinate to beryllium seen and heard.

As I said connected past week's Match of the Day, I consciousness that Isak has enactment himself into the 'world class' class now, with his performances for Newcastle implicit the past 2 seasons.

Along with Mohamed Salah astatine Liverpool and Manchester City's Erling Haaland, helium is 1 of the 3 standout forwards we person got successful the Premier League.

Sure, the different 2 person done it for longer successful England, but Isak got 25 goals successful each competitions past season, and has 19 already this run truthful helium is bang connected people to smash that full this time.

He's similar an assassin, the mode helium puts chances away, but what I truly liked from talking to him is that you tin archer helium is inactive looking for ways to amended his crippled astatine the property of 25.

I asked him for his favourite, oregon best, extremity that helium has scored truthful acold this season, and you volition person to ticker to find retired which 1 helium chose, and why.

What I volition archer you is that it was antithetic to my pick, which was his almighty header against Arsenal successful November. I saw that arsenic a spot of a throwback goal, the benignant that I utilized to emotion to score, and it came from what I'd picture arsenic a imagination delivery, too.

There was nary nonsense from the winger, Anthony Gordon, who conscionable whipped the transverse successful and it is simply a fantastic shot - a nightmare for the defenders and goalkeeper but for a guardant it was cleanable - early, with gait and whip connected it. Isak did the rest, and we are getting utilized to seeing that now.

One of the things that makes him beauteous unsocial arsenic a subordinate is that helium has scored each sorts of fantastic goals, including his 2nd against Southampton connected Saturday. That has to beryllium up determination excessively due to the fact that of his fantastic archetypal touch, and the mode it played the shot perfectly into his way to get his changeable away.

Like me, though, helium doesn't attraction excessively overmuch if his goals are spectacular oregon not, arsenic agelong arsenic they spell in.

I retrieve talking to Isak this clip past year, and Howe and his adjunct Jason Tindall walked successful and said 1 of the things helium could bash amended astatine was tap-ins, those benignant of 2 oregon three-yard finishes wherever you are conscionable successful the close spot astatine the close time.

Isak felt the aforesaid mode and helium has intelligibly worked connected that, successful presumption of his positioning and wherever you request to beryllium to get connected the extremity of balls into the box.

As helium says himself, tiny details tin alteration a lot. He feels it has got him different types of goals, arsenic good arsenic much goals, and I loved proceeding astir that - and each the antithetic aspects of his crippled - 12 months on.

Another happening I asked Isak astir is wherever helium has travel from, and however his inheritance shaped him arsenic a idiosyncratic and a player.

He grew up playing thoroughfare shot successful the suburbs of Stockholm and determination is inactive an constituent of that to his playing benignant now, with the mode helium caresses the shot and his dribbling ability.

His parents had to fly to Sweden from Eritrea and commencement a caller beingness there, which tells you what they are made of and however pugnacious they had to be.

There is simply a spot of alloy astir him excessively - possibly not erstwhile you look astatine him oregon speech to him, but surely erstwhile helium is retired connected the pitch.

Aggression is portion of his game, the aforesaid arsenic his accomplishment connected the shot oregon his quality to driblet heavy oregon marque runs and agelong defences.

He tin grip himself physically, and helium is rather comfy dealing with speculation astir his aboriginal too.

I deliberation helium finds it complimentary that radical are saying that different clubs privation him due to the fact that of however good helium is doing, but nary of that speech comes from him, and helium is surely not letting it impact his form.

He is intelligibly an ambitious feline who wants to play successful the Champions League, but similar the Newcastle fans who adore him, I americium hoping helium tin fulfil those aims astatine St James' Park.

I ended our chat by telling him to support doing what helium is doing, and joked that nine-year contracts look to beryllium successful manner for strikers astatine the moment.

It would beryllium beauteous to spot him enactment arsenic agelong arsenic that and assistance the squad triumph immoderate trophies, but I conjecture we volition person to hold and spot whether helium listened to maine oregon not.

Alan Shearer was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.