Newcastle rounded off their tour of Asia with a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur this afternoon.
It was a much-improved display after a slow start, but it was no surprise to see Eddie Howe quizzed on matters off the pitch after the game, with the small case of Alexander Isak’s future a hot topic after a £110m bid from Liverpool failed on Friday.
Yesterday, The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported that Isak is coming back to the UK after training at former club Real Sociedad and will resume training at Newcastle United next week.
This topic was put to Howe after today’s 1-1 draw in Seoul, although the boss was unable to confirm if Isak will report to our Benton base over the coming days:
> _“Of course I’d like him to but whether or not he will, I don’t know at this moment in time._
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> _“Other people have been dealing with that situation back at home.”_
An unclear answer, perhaps as Howe has been away and focused on the group with him in South Korea, not matters elsewhere.
However, it adds to the uncertainty as we approach what promises to be a pivotal few days, whether that’s Isak’s conduct in light of Liverpool’s failed bid or Benjamin Sesko’s seemingly imminent decision on who to join next; Newcastle United or Manchester United.
On the game itself, Howe was happy to see our strong response to a poor start:
> _“It was a good competitive game. We did not start well, but I was pleased with the second half.”_