NEWCASTLE, England (AP) — Newcastle manager Eddie Howe remains hopeful Alexander Isak can be reintegrated into the squad, despite the disgruntled striker saying his relationship with the club cannot continue in an explosive midweek post on social media.
Isak broke his silence on his discontent at Newcastle by posting a statement on Instagram, saying the club has broken promises about an agreement that would allow him to leave amid interest from Liverpool and reiterating his desire to move.
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Newcastle responded to Isak’s outburst by saying no club official had made a commitment to let the striker leave and that it had not received a good enough offer from another team for the Sweden international. The transfer window closes on Sept. 1.
In a twist to the saga, Liverpool is the visitor to St. James’ Park on Monday and Howe said Isak would not be involved, missing a second straight game after the 0-0 draw at Aston Villa on the opening weekend of the league.
Howe still believes, however, that the club can resolve its differences with Isak.
“He is contracted to us, he is our player,” Howe said at a news conference on Friday that was dominated by questions about Isak. “My wish is that he’d be playing on Monday night with us but he won’t be and that’s regrettable at this moment.
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“But 100% I want to see him back in a Newcastle shirt.”
Howe said Newcastle “justifiably” responded to Isak’s social-media post in midweek even though ideally he’d want to keep such matters behind closed doors
The manager added that Isak continues to train away from the main squad and they haven’t met this week.
“There’s no issues between us,” Howe said. “Of course, it’s a difficult situation from both sides and it’s far from ideal for both parties.”
With 23 goals, Isak was second in the Premier League scoring chart behind Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah last season.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
