The Sweden international has scored 22 goals so far this season.
Dan Burn (left) has labelled team-mate Alexander Isak (right) as “probably the best striker in the world at the minute” (Bradley Collyer/PA)open image in gallery
Dan Burn (left) has labelled team-mate Alexander Isak (right) as “probably the best striker in the world at the minute” (Bradley Collyer/PA) (PA Archive)
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Newcastle will head into the Carabao Cup final with “probably the best striker in the world at the minute” at their disposal.
That is the view of defender Dan Burn, who is hoping Sweden international Alexander Isak can do to Liverpool at Wembley on Sunday what predecessor Malcolm Macdonald was famously unable to against the same opposition in the 1974 FA Cup final.
The Magpies will run out at Wembley looking to end a 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy against the odds, but confident that in Isak, who has 22 goals to his name this season, they have a weapon with which to hurt the champions elect.
Burn said: “In my opinion, Alex is probably the best striker in the world at the minute. I feel he’s got everything. His finishing is unbelievable, but he also drops in to link play; you can go long to him if you have to.
“You can see that he’s full of confidence, which is great for us. I can’t speak highly enough about Alex, he’s done so much for the team.”
Such has been 25-year-old Isak’s impact on Tyneside since his £63million switch from Real Sociedad during the summer of 2022, he is being mentioned in the same revered tones as Macdonald, Jackie Milburn and Alan Shearer, and Burn can understand why.
He said: “I don’t see why he can’t be up there with any of the strikers we’ve had. I feel as if the very top forwards – your Shearers – have done it for such a long amount of time. I think that’s what he’s probably going to be judged on.
“But the form that he’s in at the minute, I can’t see why he shouldn’t.”
Asked what the Swede is like to play against in training, Burn, 32, said with a smile: “Oh, it’s easy to play against him in training, he never gets past me.”
Both men finished with runners-up medals in the same competition two seasons ago following a 2-0 defeat by Manchester United, but Blyth-born Burn senses a different atmosphere in the run-up to the big day this time around.
He said: “We’re full of confidence going into the final. I don’t think it will be the same as last time.
“It was very emotional two years ago, not just for the players, but also for the whole city. It might have been a bit more of a surprise that we got there, whereas this time around, I feel as though we believe that we should be doing that on a regular basis.
“It will be much more ‘business as usual’ from our side. I know there’ll be a lot of external noise, but internally, we’re just treating it like any other game. We’ve got full belief that we can go there and get the job done.”