Eddie Howe issued a hands-off warning to any potential January suitors of “world-class” Newcastle forward Alexander Isak after he struck a 54-minute hat-trick to inspire a 4-0 victory at Ipswich.

Isak opened his account with 26 seconds on the clock when he fired home following a poor clearance by Town captain Sam Morsy, but the offside flag was immediately raised.

A two-and-a-half-minute VAR check followed and the goal was eventually awarded, before Isak got his second on the stroke of half-time when Bruno Guimaraes robbed Jens Cajuste, which provided the Swedish striker with a simple tap-in.

Isak did not have to wait long to secure his first treble for the Magpies when he slotted into the bottom corner from Jacob Murphy’s backheel to take his tally for the club to 43 goals in 84 appearances, reinforcing why plenty around the world admire the 25-year-old.

"He is a world-class talent and the way he took his goals today, he has got that coolness in front of goal, that composure that very few players have," Howe reflected.

"When you add his other qualities into the mix, how quick he is, how technically gifted he is - he has got it all."

With Newcastle eager to not fall foul of Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) ahead of the winter transfer window, Howe was asked if he wanted to keep Isak.

Howe smiled: "It makes me laugh. Yeah, absolutely. There is no part of me or anyone at Newcastle that wants to let Alex go. He is very much part of our long-term plans and personally, I don’t see that being an issue.

"He is motivated and he wants to do well. He has got big aspirations with his career, still relatively young, so he has got hopefully a really bright future ahead of him.

"I know his desire to score goals is second to none. Every conversation I have had about Newcastle concerning his future with him has been very positive.

"I would love for him, with the other players, to be the man and team-mates to contribute towards us winning a trophy. That’s the aim."