In Focus: Isak has all the tools to become Toon's next hero

After a difficult start to life in the Premier League, Alexander Isak is now proving his worth to Newcastle.

The Swedish international was signed for a fee of £63million from Real Sociedad back in August. 

After a promising start, a hamstring injury kept the striker out of action for a significant portion of the season. Now fit again, he has made a successful return to the team and inspired three straight wins.

Ahead of the Toon's trip to West Ham tonight, we take a look at the bright future Isak looks to have with the Magpies.

Injury return

Prior to Isak returning to Newcastle's starting line-up on a regular basis, the team's hopes of Champions League qualification looked to be fading. 

Before winning their last three games, Eddie Howe's side had only won one of their previous eight, losing the last two of those fixtures. During that run, the North East club only scored three goals.

The one victory during that sequence came when their No14 came off the bench to score against Fulham and secure a 1-0 win. 

Starts came against Bournemouth and Liverpool but he was back on the bench for the trip to Manchester City. In the three games since then, he has started every match. 

Isak scored and played a vital role in the win against Wolves, notched a brace in the victory against Nottingham Forest and was a key figure as Newcastle beat Manchester United 2-0. 

Those results leave the club in third position in the Premier League, with the games in hand to create some clear distance between themselves and fourth-placed Tottenham.

Howe verdict

The game against Manchester United marked the first time the Solna-born assassin had started three games in a row since scoring two goals when doing so towards the start of the season. 

In total, he now has six goals in 11 Premier League appearances for the Magpies. It is an impressive tally considering that he only started seven of those matches. 

Yet the goals are only part of the story with the 23-year-old. Isak is blessed with incredible close control, able to hold the ball up and has the ability to bring others into the game. 

After the victory on Sunday, Eddie Howe waxed lyrical about his striker's qualities. 

Howe said: "He can run, he's technically good, he can dribble, he can pass. He's got a really intelligent football brain. So, I think he's the whole package. 

"Yes, he had an injury early on with us but he's fully fit now. He's a huge player for us."

Next No9

It is a worry for any club when they sign a new player and they spend the first few months on the sidelines with injury. 

The good news for Magpies fans is that Isak does not have a history that suggests this is anything but an isolated incident. He missed relatively few games during three full seasons at Real Sociedad.

Now in a more attacking team than was the case in Spain, his goal ratio already looks more impressive having scored 33 times in 105 LaLiga games. 

Newcastle are likely to spend big money if they qualify for the Champions League. While other players are battling for their futures, everything points to the 6ft 4in forward becoming a key figure. 

Callum Wilson might have hold of the famous No9 shirt at the moment, but Isak has already taken his place in the team and looks destined to fill that role in the coming years.