Paul Merson says 24-year-old Newcastle player looked lost against AC Milan last night

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Paul Merson suggested that Alexander Isak looked a little bit lost when he came on for Newcastle United in their clash with AC Milan on Wednesday.

Alexander Isak was brought on as the Magpies chased a crucial winning goal in the final game of their Champions League group-stage campaign.

Newcastle knew that victory would be enough to progress, provided that Paris Saint-Germain did not beat Borussia Dortmund. And with Dortmund doing their bit, everything appeared to be going well for the Magpies with Joelinton scoring a brilliant goal in the first-half.

Paul Merson thought Alexander Isak looked lost when he came on for Newcastle

However, with Milan equalising just before the hour-mark, Howe decided to throw caution to the wind. But Paul Merson suggested on Soccer Special (broadcast on 13/12; 22:02) that Newcastle lost control of the contest, with the introduction of the Swede shortly after failing to pay off.

“I just thought when it got into a gung-ho game, he put Isak on the left. Thought he was a bit lost out on the left, if I’m honest. And in the end they could have scored another one or two goals,” he told Soccer Special.

Of course, Milan would make the scoreline 2-1 late on as Newcastle pushed for that vital winner. And with that, the Magpies were knocked out of Europe altogether.

Magpies had little left in the tank

Obviously, that is a huge disappointment given what an incredible achievement it was for Howe’s side to finish in the top four last season.

But given what they are dealing with this season, not being in the Europa League is not a disaster. They have had so many injuries this term that Howe was only able to name seven substitutes against the Rossoneri. And two of those substitutes were goalkeepers.

You would imagine that some of those who featured last night were not fully fit. They have played so many games of late. And their recent form shows that it is really catching up with them.

Isak has scored two goals in his last eight appearances in all competitions. And given that he was unable to make an impact on yesterday’s game, he definitely appears to be one of those who has found this recent run particularly challenging.