The Allan Saint-Maximin dilemma that poses questions for Chris Wood's goal solution

It’s perhaps a mark of how good things are going at Newcastle United that despite the fact Chris Wood is still yet to get off the mark, his lack of goals isn’t yet a real concern.

Wood’s drought in-front of goal is a lot easier to deal with given United are unbeaten in the Premier League in 2022 which has resulted in their league position looking a lot healthier than it was at the turn of the year.

There is no doubting Wood’s efforts since his £25m move from Burnley - he has certainly been a useful asset in a run of games where United could ill afford to slip up.

Wood’s aeriel strength has been particularly noticed with the striker winning 65 of his aeriel duels out of a possible 110 - a win rate of 59.1%, third only behind Jamaal Lascelles and Joelinton.

But as much as Wood proves his worth in the air, sooner rather than later he will be judged on his goals - and so far it reads, five starts, 450 minutes played and zero goals.

In many ways, it’s hard to be critical of Wood for missing chances as very few have been created for the New Zealand international - with only one shot registered as on target, and only nine further efforts.

That came against Everton when Wood just a few yards out got his header all wrong and tamely nodded it towards Jordan Pickford - a chance many feel he should have done much better with.

But aside from that, the other nine opportunities are hardly anything noticeable - other than perhaps a shot against Aston Villa which he blazed into the Leazes End with Ryan Fraser free on the right.

So how do Newcastle fix the issue? Is there a case to be made that United should change their style to suit Wood? Or does Wood have to do more to fit into what has been a largely successful approach to games in