Newcastle United’s pre-season began with a heavy 4-0 defeat to Celtic at Parkhead, but the bigger concern for fans was the absence of Alexander Isak.
Over 10,000 Newcastle supporters traveled to Glasgow expecting to see their star striker, only to learn he hadn’t made the trip and while Anthony Elanga featured for the first time since his arrival but it was Isak’s omission that quickly became the main story.
The timing has particularly caused concerns among the Magpies supporters, especially given the recent surge in transfer speculation surrounding the 25-year-old striker.
Isak has reportedly attracted interest from Liverpool and more recently Al Hilal.
While the club stated that both Isak and Joelinton were rested as part of Eddie Howe’s plans to manage their minutes, the situation raised eyebrows, especially since Joelinton still traveled with the squad.
Eddie Howe explains Alexander Isak absence amid transfer links
Addressing Alexander Isak’s absence at Celtic Park, Howe offered a detailed explanation following the match:
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“Yeah, both players are fit, but we just felt they weren’t ready to play,” he said (Via The SHIELDS Gazette)
“Everyone through pre-season goes through different challenges. Joe’s coming back from a long injury, so we need to make sure when he’s introduced he’s ready.
“Alex has trained this week and he’s fine, but we didn’t want to take the risk with him today.
“Alex was with us all the way through Austria, but today, with all the speculation and things that are going on, I decided to send him home.
“It’s purely the last thing Alex wants if he’s not playing, is to be sat in the stand. Being under that scrutiny, I don’t think that’s fair to the player.
“So, if he wasn’t going to play today, which we mutually agreed, he needs a little bit more training time, then it’s best that he’s not here.
“I have conversations with, I’d say, 100% of the players on their futures. I’m very, very communicative with them, whether that’s at the end of the season, whether that’s during pre-season.
“So, yes, I’ve had discussions with him. But that’s not abnormal. I respect a player’s career and how short it is.
“All the time, I will be communicating my desires and my wishes to them and what I see and trying to help them. Alex has been really good. He’s trained really well so far this season.
“So, I know there’ll be lots of noise around it, and I can’t really control that. But from inside, he’s been really good.”
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