Alan Shearer hails ‘unbelievable’ player Newcastle United sold for £15m as Magpies reunion lies ahead
A former Newcastle United striker has earned major praise from the Magpies all-time record goalscorer after hitting form this season.
Newcastle United’s current struggles in front of goal have been widely analysed across the media.
Alexander Isak’s goal in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Chelsea was only the Magpies fourth goal in their last six games and Eddie Howe’s side have only scored more than once on two occasions in their opening 11 games of the season. However, the same can not be said of a player sold by the Magpies during the summer of 2023 after he embarked on the best goalscoring run of his career to take his current club to the brink of the top six of the Premier League.
Since starting the season with a goal in a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth, former United striker Chris Wood has gone on to score seven goals in nine games in all competitions and only Manchester City star Erling Haaland and reported Magpies target Bryan Mbeumo have scored more goals in the Premier League so far this season. Wood’s latest exploits came as Forest earned all three points from their short trip to Leicester City and the New Zealand international played an integral role in helping Nuno Espirito Santo’s side extend their run of form to just one defeat in their first nine league games. After seeing Foxes striker Jamie Vardy cancel out a Ryan Yates opener, Wood came to the fore in the second-half with a well-taken brace that ensured his side will head into Saturday’s home game with West Ham United sat in seventh place in the table.
His performance also earned praise from Magpies legend Alan Shearer as he told Match of the Day: “He is unbelievable. He is in the form of his life. He is in the place where you're not hoping you are going to score goals, instead you actually know you're going to go out and score them.He is just full of confidence. He scored two very different goals against Leicester. For the first one, it is his movement to go into the box and get around the defenders, then his first touch and the swivel, then how he wraps his foot around the ball the way that he did.
"He had no other thought in his mind. He knew exactly where the goal was and there wasn't even one thought about passing it to anyone else. He just wanted to get the shot away - and why shouldn't he with the form he is in?For his second goal, he is just too strong for Wout Faes. His awareness of where he is, where the goalkeeper is and what he has to do is so impressive. It was a clever finish to just guide it in with his head, over the goalkeeper. It should be a great feeling for him.”
Wood will aim to continue his impressive form against Newcastle when the Magpies visit the City Ground on Sunday week.