Alexander Isak was finalising his club-record move at Newcastle United's training ground when Callum Wilson rocked up unannounced in the medical room to warmly welcome the Sweden international.
Some strikers can be unsettled by a new arrival playing in their position, but not Wilson, who loves competition and is not the type of character who would try and intimidate Isak regardless. Wilson, after all, has previously been in Isak's position, as a young centre forward joining a new club, and Newcastle's top scorer knows that the 22-year-old will help the team and, indeed, him personally when he recovers from a hamstring injury.
Although Howe was reluctant to pair Wilson and Chris Wood up front, the Newcastle boss sees the number nine and Isak playing together because they are very different players with 'unique strengths'. It is not hard to envisage Isak, for example, being used as an inside forward in a 4-3-3 or, alternatively, playing off Wilson as a second striker or even up top with the number nine if needs be.
