Lee Ryder reviews Ipswich 0-4 Newcastle
Newcastle United assistant manager Jason Tindall stood back and applauded Alexander Isak with the rest of the travelling Toon Army as he took the acclaim at Portman Road.
The Sweden star had just fired in his first hat-trick for Newcastle and is now just four goals shy of a half-century. For all, Newcastle CEO Darren Eales said that every player has a price, there is no way the Magpies will part with Isak any time soon.
At the post-game press conference, Howe labelled Isak as a "world class" player. Even if Newcastle did hoover up the many millions it may take to buy him, they'd find it close to impossible to replace him.
The truth is Newcastle need a new back-up man to offer him a rest or two in the long winter months ahead. But talk of a move away was far from his or any Newcastle fan's mind on Saturday night.
His hat-trick was a thing of beauty and the coaching staff knew it. That's why he was pushed towards the away end with his hat-trick ball and ordered to soak up the adulation.
Tindall joined in that applause, but once the players headed back down the tunnel, he made his way over to offer his own congratulations to the star. Howe probably wanted Isak off earlier than the 73rd minute and may have even been tempted to take him off when chasing a hat-trick as he looks ahead to festive fixtures against Aston Villa and Man United.
Aftewards, Howe hinted: "With Callum Wilson injured he has to play the majority of minutes, and he relishes that. He's got everything, he showed that with his goals today. He is technically gifted, and has a coolness in front of goal."
Yet Isak heaped praise on one of his team-mates straight after the game after he'd twice been assisted by Jacob Murphy. The £63million man said: "Jacob is really helpful, a team player. I am obviously happy for him that he gets rewarded with points too.
"Just scoring goals will give confidence, and help me and the team. It doesn't matter if it's one, two or three. It's been a long time coming for Newcastle, my first one [hat-trick] here. I'm buzzing."
As Newcastle players boarded the bus knowing they could enjoy their Christmas dinner with three points on the board, he wasn't the only one!