Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has slammed comparisons between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alexander Isak as 'ridiculous' amid Liverpool's pursuit of the latter. The Magpies find themselves embroiled in a heated transfer row after the Sweden striker made clear his intentions to depart St James' Park.
The 25-year-old has been absent from training with his club colleagues since pre-season commenced and has subsequently been excluded from the first-team squad after voicing his wish to consider alternative options. The Reds have already seen a £110m offer for Isak turned down, as they tested their Premier League counterparts' determination.
During the latter stages of the last campaign, Liverpool dominated headlines following the controversy surrounding Alexander-Arnold's departure when he joined Real Madrid as a free agent.
During Wednesday's episode of the Rest is Football podcast, presenter Gary Lineker shared a listener's query drawing parallels between the Alexander-Arnold and Isak situations, implying Shearer's position on the latter differs due to his allegiance to his former club.
"What a stupid question that is, you can't compare them at all," Shearer responded forcefully. "Trent was a kid who was brought up Liverpool, he came to the end of his contract.
"I think Liverpool fans' problem is that he (Alexander-Arnold) is a Liverpool lad and they feel like they didn't get a monster transfer fee for him," Lineker said.
"Obviously they did get something in the end, £8-10 million whatever it was, from Real Madrid because they wanted him to play in the Club World Cup."
Nevertheless, Shearer was eager to highlight the distinctions between the two prominent sagas in the Premier League. The top-flight legend provided details about his recent meeting with Isak and expressed surprise at the developments throughout the summer.
"I sat down with him what, five or six months ago, Alex. I didn't see this in him to be honest," he continued.
"I thought he was a manager's dream to be honest, the way he spoke and the way he, sort of, was talking about himself and the club and his life and everything else.
"So obviously something has massively upset him and we don't know that, but those two circumstances, Trent and Alexander Isak, are totally different."
Isak will watch on from the comfort of his own home on Monday when the two teams battling for his services collide as Liverpool travel to St James' Park to face Newcastle.