Forget goal stats, the gulf between Alexander Isak and Chris Wood couldn't be wider
Can I tease you with an impudent question: who would you prefer as your centre-forward Chris Wood or Alexander Isak? I only ask because both have worn our tunic and they are about to go head-to-head in the match after next.
Isak is valued at somewhere north of £100m and has been much heralded as the best centre-forward in all of Europe. Meanwhile Wood is 33 years of age with a past record that is steady rather than spectacular.
However when it comes to the most vital part of their job unbelievably this particular campaign there is not the thickness of a sheet of note paper between them. Both have scored 17 Premier League goals on behalf of Newcastle and Nottingham Forest in an orgy of intent.
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I know, speaking of Wood in the same breath as Isak may seem mindblowing. While acknowledging what a wonderful season in the autumn of his career a thoroughly nice man and top professional is enjoying, the gulf in all-round ability between him and our Swede is as wide as the Atlantic.
Here are some more stats that tell a different tale - Isak has scored 48 PL goals for Newcastle from 74 appearances while Wood notched four PL goals in 35 fixtures for us spread over two seasons. The New Zealander's best PL total before he gorged himself during Forest's current rise and rise stood at a modest 14 which he managed twice with Burnley and his current club. A one-season super plunderer? A bit harsh, but you get the picture.
The nation's obsession with Isak - who can they sell him to next - will no doubt be heightened over the next few games when he goes into direct combat with the PL's other top goalscorers. First it is Isak (17) vs Erling Haaland (19) on Saturday when United go to Manchester City then it is Isak vs Wood up here and finally Isak vs Mo Salah (21) at Anfield. Quite a challenge for player and club.
By the way why should Alex feel the need to go to Arsenal, repeatedly touted as his summer destination? To win things? The Gunners are out of both domestic competitions which means they will probably win nothing again this season with the PL title and Champions League trophy surely just outside their grip while Newcastle can lift the Carabao Cup at Wembley, are still in pursuit of the FA Cup having reached the last 16, and can quality for the Champions League themselves.
However back to Wood. I know he scored a hat-trick at SJP last season when Isak only notched once but to put that into perspective Chris totted up more league goals that afternoon at the cathedral on the hill than he did in the whole of his time with us on the same strip of turf. And of course we have gone to his new home twice this season and beaten him and Forest both times in the PL and League Cup. Isak buried United's first to spark off a significant 3-1 league victory back in November to put us on a double the game after next.
I'll stop now. I don't think I need go any further. Enjoy this season Christopher. You have earned that right without question. But when it comes to all round ability, to quick feet and silky touch, to variation, frightening pace, and scoring consistency over the long haul there is only one winner.
Still if Forest made the Champions League and we didn't I guess Chris would feel he had the last laugh. There again United have got to the Carabao Cup final knocking out Forest on their own ground along the way. It's swings and roundabouts . . . and anyway our man is still the more accomplished individual of the two by a country mile. Who is coveted most in the transfer market?
Talking of Isak brings me to another point: who is United's best signing of the new era under Howe and the Saudis? Isak or Gordon? Tonali or Bruno? Botman, Hall, Livramento or Trippier? Or is it Wor Flags for helping create a spectacle that can rival the best atmosphere at any ground in the country? My answer is that it's all of them because combined they can on a good day be an awesome force. Glance at those names and they confirm that United's hierarchy have excelled when it has come to recruitment. It's just that they seem to have stopped doing it!
