Eddie Howe admits Alexander Isak fears as Newcastle boss threatens Liverpool

Eddie Howe has conceded that replacing Alexander Isak is a near-impossible task, but he believes Anthony Gordon could be up to the challenge. The Newcastle manager would have preferred to have Isak available for tomorrow night's match against Liverpool at a packed St James' Park. In an ideal world, he would have liked to have at least one new striker in the Toon squad for the visit of the Premier League champions.

Newcastle began their season with a goalless draw at Aston Villa, fuelling critics who argue they lack firepower without their Swedish striker. However, if Liverpool underestimate Newcastle's scoring potential, they may be in for a shock. Howe is already seeing promising signs that Gordon can thrive through the middle.

"I don't think anyone can fill Alex's boots and Anthony will know that," said the Newcastle boss. "He's not trying to be Alex, he's got to be himself. If he'd scored at Aston Villa, you'd say: 'That's the perfect No. 9 performance.' He had seven shots in the game, looked threatening and got a man sent off. He was using his qualities, which are his speed and dribbling skills. Yes, we were missing a goal from the overall performance but hopefully those will come."

While Isak trains alone, Gordon has been undergoing intensive training on what it takes to be a centre forward.

Howe added: "It's a bit different for him. We're training him there at the moment and he's beginning to get that. rhythm that you need playing in the position and the understanding and tactical knowledge you need because the role is different.

"But he's an attacker - and a very good attacker. "The beauty of Anthony when we signed him was that he can play right, left and potentially down the middle. It's something he has done before and he's done it for England so it's not totally new to him."

The harsh reality, however, is that Gordon hasn't found the back of the net in league action since his strike against Wolves on January 19 - a fifth goal in six matches. His sole goal in the 17 fixtures since came against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup.

So Newcastle won't possess the same attacking threat they wielded against Liverpool last season, particularly in the cup final when Isak scored what proved to be the decisive goal. What they will boast on Monday, though, is a supremely gifted, committed professional spearheading their attack.

Twelve months ago, Gordon nearly joined Liverpool during a frantic weekend when Newcastle were compelled to generate millions of pounds to avoid a ten points deduction due to PSR violations.

In the end, it was homegrown talent Elliot Anderson and Yankuma Minteh who were sold to Nottingham Forest and Brighton respectively with the Scouser remaining at St James' Park.

The rumours, by his own acknowledgement, impacted him but Gordon knuckled down, dismissed any notions of a return to Merseyside and concentrated on the club that pays his salary. If only a certain team-mate could mirror his approach.