Igor Thiago: Can the Brentford striker now call up Brazil?

First it was Evan Tony. Then it was Brian Mbeumo and Yoan Wessa. Now he is Igor Thiago.

Brentford seem to have an uncanny knack of replacing one great goalscorer with another.

This season, only Manchester City striker Erling Haaland (14) has scored more Premier League goals than Thiago’s eight – after the Brazilian scored twice against Newcastle on Sunday.

Harvey Barnes opened the scoring at Gtech Community Stadium before Kevin Schade equalized for the hosts.

Thiago calmly scored from the penalty spot to put the Bees ahead, then scored a late goal to seal their 3-1 win.

His pace, strength and natural goalscoring instinct helped Brentford climb to 12th in the table after a difficult start – with five wins from 11 matches.

Thiago has not played for Brazil, and Thiago’s form should mean he is on manager Carlo Ancelotti’s radar – but the 24-year-old is also eligible to play for Bulgaria.

“He’s been very good, hasn’t he? He’s growing in stature and confidence and has been very impressive this season,” said Brentford manager Keith Andrews, who replaced Thomas Frank in the summer.

“We are hungry to achieve and we have a hungry squad. This is really important. Thiago is a good example of that.

He added: “He has a wonderful spirit, loves life and loves football.”