Eddie Howe has insisted there is no talk of Alexander Isak in the Newcastle dressing room
Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and Alexis Mac Allister of Liverpool look on from the dugout prior to the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD2 match between Galatasaray A.S. and Liverpool FC at Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi on September 30, 2025 in Istanbul, Turkey.
Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and Alexis Mac Allister of Liverpool look on from the dugout prior to the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD2 match between Galatasaray A.S. and Liverpool FC at Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi on September 30, 2025 in Istanbul, Turkey.
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Alexander Isak left Newcastle for Liverpool last summer(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Eddie Howe has effectively banned talk of Alexander Isak in the Newcastle United dressing room ahead of the trip to Anfield tomorrow - insisting the club has "moved on" from the saga that rocked world football last summer.
As Newcastle attempted to start preparations for the 2025/26 season in earnest, Isak quit the club's summer training camp after a few days before engineering his £125m move to Liverpool by going on strike.
Howe is full of respect for Liverpool, but heads to Anfield looking to end a long run without a Premier League victory that stretches back in 1994.
Newcastle did win in the Coca-Cola Cup in 1995 at Anfield but the winless run stretches back into the last century with only a handful of draws offering away fans something to cheer about down the years.
Isak can't play after suffering a broken leg away to Spurs earlier in the season, but Howe said talk of Isak is not a factor in the Toon squad, he said: "We have moved on. It is irrelevant what happened then. We are not looking back, we are looking forward."
The corresponding fixture last August was a highly-charged affair as Isak remained a Newcastle player and waited for his move to Merseyside to be sanctioned by the club's Saudi bosses. When asked if there was anomisty behind the scenes, Howe said: “Certainly not on our side. I think we are just preparing for a game of football.
"All the stuff that happened in the summer is very much in the past. When you are in football, you can’t look back for too long because the game does not allow you to.
"It’s always about tomorrow and making sure you are prepared for future battles that you have on the pitch. All our focus since the summer transfer window ended has been on trying to make sure we are strong and not worrying about any other club.”
Newcastle beat Liverpool 2-1 in the Carabao Cup final last March to give the Magpies something of an edge going to Anfield with trophy taunts not on the table anymore for the Kop.
Howe is excited about pitting his wits against Arne Slot, and said: “Yes, absolutely. It is a great fixture.
"Historically, it has been a great fixture and we want to do it justice by being the best we can ourselves."
Newcastle beat Liverpool at Wembley thanks to an Isak goal but the game is rememebered on Tyneside for the intensity levels on show by United that afternoon.
Howe said: "By and large, it's something we've asked for every week. Our pressing idea has not changed.
"Our delivery might not have been as consistent this season, in part, I think, due to the number of games that we've had. A lot of teams going quite direct against us.
"So, yeah, the challenge sometimes is easy to label that at the team and the players but with a little bit more understanding, I think it's not always as clear as that, or as easy to label that at the lads. The lads want to execute what we ask them to do.
"They want to give their best. They want to give their physical best every game. Sometimes that isn't possible and then you still need to find a way to win the game and they're the challenges that we need to find answers to.
"But certainly, I don't think I can accuse, this is my own opinion, the players of a lack of effort in terms of our off-the-ball game plan."
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