Isak alongside Newcastle replacements as Premier League returns...

Alexander Isak teams up with the two strikers Newcastle hope can fill his void in this XI of new signings who could make their debuts this weekend…

After a woefully-timed international break, the Premier League returns this weekend, giving us a glimpse of a host of new signings.

Because some were made to fly off immediately after completing their late-summer switches, some managers might be tempted to play it cool with their new recruits and bed them in gently.

Sod that, we say…

GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City)

We could see two new goalkeepers in the derby; we might see none. Donnarumma feels like a more likely debutant than Senne Lammens, even if United’s need for a new stopper is greater than City’s, because this is the Etihad and big games like this are ten a penny to the Italy No.1. Might we get sight of a different City, given the obvious clash in Donnarumma’s style compared to his predecessors?

READ MORE: Amorim and United should smell City blood before Manchester derby

RB: Lutsharel Geetruida (Sunderland)

The Netherlands right-back could introduce himself to the travelling Mackems at Palace on Saturday, but Trai Hulme could consider himself extremely unfortunate to be dropped given his early season form for the Black Cats and through the international break with Northern Ireland.

READ: Premier League mood rankings: 14 places between Liverpool and Man Utd

CB: Piero Hincapie (Arsenal)

The deadline-day arrival immediately flew off to South America for international duty, during which time the Ecuador defender sparked friction with Alexis Mac Allister which we desperately hope spills over to the Premier League. Arsenal will be without William Saliba for the clash with Forest, but given Hincapie will have been in north London barely a few days before the Saturday lunchtime kick-off, it seems much more likely that Cristhian Mosquera will deputise from the start.

CB: Igor Julio (West Ham)

West Ham fans’ last sight of the Brazilian defender was of him choking on Jarrod Bowen’s dust in the Europa Conference League final so they will be hoping to form a better impression when Spurs show up at the London Stadium. Julio’s participation is likely to depend on whether Graham Potter shifts to a back five, or sticks with the four that shut out Forest a fortnight ago.

LB: Nicolo Savona (Nottingham Forest)

Forest fans are denied a first sight of Oleksandr Zinchenko because the Ukranian belongs to Saturday’s opponents, so they may have to settle for a glimpse of Savona at the Emirates. Savona is predominantly a right-back, which is where he will play on Saturday, but he can play across the back four and since we’re short of a left-back here, the Italian is doing us a favour. Good lad.

CM: Florentino Luis (Burnley)

As a defensive midfielder, Luis could have his work cut out against Liverpool on Sunday, just as he does in this woefully-imbalanced XI. But it represents the 26-year-old’s first opportunity to impress while he looks to secure a club-record £20.8million permanent move that Burnley have the option of completing with Benfica next summer. Should he start at Turf Moor against the champions, it would be Luis’s first of the season having come off the bench three times for Benfica prior to his big move.

LM: Harvey Elliott (Aston Villa)

We’re buzzing to see what Elliott can do in a more prominent role than the odd cameo he got at Liverpool. Villa certainly need the England Under-21 star to bring the creativity against Everton since they are the only team in the top seven tiers of English football yet to score a goal.

READ MORE: Harvey Elliott could return to Liverpool but his Villa deal still makes sense for all

RW: Xavi Simons (Tottenham Hotspur)

It’s a toss-up here between Simons and Randal Kolo Muani over which of the Tottenham new boys gets to do a job on the right in this XI, with the Netherlands star getting the nod on the basis he’s more likely to start for Spurs at West Ham. Simons has also played for club and country in recent weeks; Kolo Muani has done neither. After the defeat to Bournemouth in which Spurs were desperately shot-shy, Thomas Frank needs Simons to start pulling strings immediately in the London derby on Saturday evening.

CF: Alexander Isak (Liverpool)

Liverpool could place the nation’s most expensive signing on their bench at Burnley on Sunday while Arne Slot decides how to configure all the options in his attack. Isak will also have participated in a maximum of four training sessions in the lead-up to Turf Moor, owing to the fact he flew straight to Sweden after signing his contract on deadline day. However the game is going, though, surely the travelling Reds will get a glimpse of their £125million man in action?

CF: Nick Woltemade (Newcastle)

We hope Woltemade gets off to a positive start at Newcastle, purely because he seems like a good egg. That’s reportedly the impression he’s given his new team-mates in the few sessions he’s taken part in after returning from an international break with Germany that became a trying experience for the Toon’s record signing. Eddie Howe might prefer to bed Woltemade in gently, but Newcastle’s attack desperately needs some impetus and Wolves at home seems as a good a game as any to get going.

LW: Yoane Wissa (Newcastle)

Woltemade could benefit from sharing the spotlight with Wissa, who will surely make the debut he spent all summer sulking to manufacture. Howe might have been concerned about the ex-Brentford forward’s level of fitness given his lack of a proper pre-season but Wissa played both games for Congo during the international break.

Click here to read article