Mitrovic has had his say on the current crop of Newcastle United forwards including Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa
Aleksandar Mitrovic
Aleksandar Mitrovic(Image: Getty Images Europe)
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Former Newcastle United forward Aleksandar Mitrovic has compared Nick Woltemade to Harry Kane and feels the under-fire Magpies striker 'is still having a great season'.
Woltemade has scored 10 times in all competitions since his club-record £69million move from Stuttgart in the summer but the goals have dried up in 2026, with a goal in an FA Cup win over Aston Villa his only strike since the turn of the year.
Nonetheless, Mitrovic - who played for Newcastle between 2015 and 2018 - is a big fan of the Germany international's qualities.
"I think he's still having a great season," Mitrovic told Flashscore.
"Of course, as a striker, you want to score a lot. But I don't think his input is just goals. He is a very good link-up player. He can drop deep, help with the build-up. Thanks to him, fast players like Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes and Anthony Elanga have the space to attack.
"I think the manager uses him very well. To me, Woltemade's similar to Harry Kane. A mixture of nine and ten, a striker that wants to be involved in the play rather than just being at the end of it.
"It's rare to have a player that can be good in the box, but can also be used deep against teams that press or create play against opposition that sits deep."
And Mitrovic believes the way to get the best out of Woltermade is to pair him alongside fellow summer signing Yoane Wissa, who has also struggled on Tyneside.
Wissa has scored just three goals since his £55million move from Brentford, and has found himself behind Woltemade, Anthony Gordon and Will Osula in the forward pecking order in recent weeks.
But Mitrovic believes pairing Wissa and Woltemade together will unlock their qualities.
"He's a great player, he showed that for Brentford, playing alongside Ivan Toney and scoring many important goals," Mitrovic added.
"I think he would profit from a different formation. Him and Woltemade up front could be a great partnership - a towering striker who links up play and creates space, and a pacey forward who could use that space.
"But first of all, he needs to fully regain his fitness and needs more confidence. Hopefully, he'll start scoring more goals and get that confidence back for the key part of the season."
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