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Aaron Stokes

Partnership Alexander Isak 'will love' on hold as Newcastle United suffer injury setbacks

Alexander Isak's £58m move has been overshadowed somewhat by injuries to Newcastle United's key men since his arrival. The Swede is yet to partner Callum Wilson in attack, has only featured alongside Bruno Guimaraes for 72 minutes and hasn't had the chance to play alongside French flyer Allan Saint-Maximin.

It feels as though the last of those partnerships is the one hindering Isak most at present. The 23-year-old may have found the net twice in three games since his Real Sociedad exit - but he has failed to create a convincing partnership with Ryan Fraser or Miguel Almiron so far this term.

Saint-Maximin daring runs and willingness to get in behind have been missed in recent games - and it's currently looking like Isak is crying out for a wide man who can beat a man to the byline before finding him in the area.

READ MORE: Eddie Howe's late Newcastle United transfer push justified as Magpies hit with double blow

Saint-Maximin has suffered a setback on the road to recovery and is now a doubt for the clash with Fulham after the international break. Isak has now also picked up a problem and has left Sweden's Nations League camp ahead of their games with Serbia and Slovenia.

Newcastle fans may now have to wait even longer to finally see the duo wreaking havoc for opposition defences in the Premier League. And it's not just the St James' Park faithful eager to see the attacking pair in full flow together.

Speaking following Isak's move to Newcastle, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp said he feels the Swede will 'love' playing alongside his Newcastle co-star: “Unplayable when he’s [Saint-Maximin] on his day, he really is. Towards the end of last season, he was in and out of the team and Eddie Howe, I had that feeling he wasn’t quite sure of him.

“I think backing off [Saint-Maximin] isn’t always the best thing, get out to him as fast as you can. Once he gets into those areas, he’s brilliant. You’ve got to have end product, you’ve got to make goals and that’s always been the one thing.

“How many assists does he get? How many goals does he get? Because with his ability he should be scoring or at least making chances for players. Especially now they’re getting more personnel in. Isak will look at this and think ‘I’d love some of this supply line’.”

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