Alexander Isak has been labelled as the "best striker in the Premier League right now" after the Newcastle United forward delivered a sensational display in a 2-0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
That is the view of former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, who lauded the Swede after he scored for the sixth straight Premier League match and took his tally in December to eight goals, more than any other player.
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"He is the best striker in the Premier League right now, and he is, I don't think it's actually close right now, I think he's the real standout," Carragher said on Sky Sports.
"He's not just a goalscorer, you're seeing some of his touches, and I can never forget the first time I saw him play live.
"It was a couple of years ago, maybe two or three years ago at Anfield, very early on in the season, he scored a goal, he ran through, and the thing about him is, when he's got a chance to score or he's got to finish, he's one of those strikers you never expect him to miss, he's always got that coolness in front of goal."
Meanwhile, Gary Neville added: "You could really see the quality of his play and his movement tonight. He's absolutely fantastic and he's improving all the time. We know he can score goals, we know he can run, but also his hold-up play and his link with others has got better and better since he's been at Newcastle.
"I think he is the best striker at this moment in time in the country, purely because I watch Erling Haaland a lot who is a world-class striker but his overall play is nowhere near Isak's level at this moment in time. I think Isak could do what he wanted at times in this game. It was a really good night for him and he's had a devastating December.
"The game was won by this man in the first 20 minutes."
'Isak would walk into any team in the Premier League'
Former Premier League striker Michael Owen joined Carragher and Neville in praising Isak.
"It is a lovely feeling for a striker. He is top class in every way. He oozes class. He is seriously good and Newcastle have done well to get him, develop him and feed him.
"He won’t be on the market but he’d be one of the most sought after players. He could walk into any team in the Premier League in that position."
'It's so good to play alongside him'
Joelinton, scorer of Newcastle's second goal at Man Utd, also paid tribute to his team-mate.
"He’s amazing. It is so good to have him and to play alongside him because he is one of the best strikers in the world right now.
"I hope he continues scoring goals and playing amazing because it is good for us."
How good was Isak?
The stats back up what an outstanding evening Isak had.
The Swede's goal against Man Utd was the Magpies’ earliest ever at Old Trafford in the Premier League.
It was also his 50th goal involvement in the Premier League (43 goals, 7 assists) in 69 games, the third-fastest Newcastle player to hit that milestone after Andrew Cole in 1994 (43 matches) and Les Ferdinand in 1997 (58 matches).
And Isak ended 2024 with 25 Premier League goals, a total that only Alan Shearer, with 27, has bettered for Newcastle over a calendar year.