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- Isak wants Newcastle exit
- Liverpool move looks remote
- Howe says he’s "acted poorly"
Isak stunned Newcastle fans when he asked for a summer exit as he tried to secure a move to Liverpool. The Swede then trained on his own at his former side Real Sociedad, rather than linking up with the Magpies for their pre-season tour in Asia. With a Liverpool switch now looking remote, manager Howe has fired a warning of sorts to the striker.
He told The Daily Mail: “You have to earn the right to train with us. We are Newcastle United. The player has a responsibility here to be part of a team and part of a squad – you have to act in the right way. So that is also at play here. We will make sure that any player does that to earn the right to train with the group. No player can expect to act poorly and train with the group as normal.
“Of course I’d like him to be (there), but whether he will I don’t know at this moment in time. We have been here with the time difference, preparing for training and for games. Other people have been dealing with that situation back at home.”
The Daily Mail states that Newcastle will only sell Isak on ‘their terms’, with the Magpies only likely to accept an offer approaching £150 million ($199m) as they try and line up a replacement. But Isak’s actions so far have not made him a popular figure amongst Newcastle’s fans.
Isak – who initially did not go to Newcastle’s pre-season tour due to a thigh injury, but a subsequent scan showed no damage – has reportedly returned to Tyneside, but Howe is yet to speak to the Sweden international. It remains to be seen whether Isak will be reintegrated into the Newcastle squad as transfer speculation persists.
