Newcastle United are building up for an absolutely huge Premier League clash against Liverpool on Monday night.
Newcastle United vs Liverpool is already one of the Premier League’s more iconic fixtures but recent events off the field have made it all the more dramatic.
Indeed, Newcastle’s game against Liverpool will be an even tastier spectacle under the lights. The Reds stole a march on Newcastle to sign Hugo Ekitike earlier this summer and have since tried to sign Alexander Isak.
It’s a huge game for Eddie Howe’s side. This has been a difficult summer but sticking it to Liverpool of all teams would be a huge statement of intent.
On Wednesday, Sky Sports uploaded a video of the Newcastle United squad in training. Here are three things we learned.
Alexander Isak takes part in a Newcastle United training session in pre-season.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Alexander Isak impasse continues
Newcastle have confirmed they do not expect Isak to leave the club this summer amid the interest from Anfield.
Still, he remains in a stand-off behind the scenes.
Indeed, Isak wasn’t at the Newcastle United training ground with the rest of his teammates, further underlining the fact he’s hugely unlikely to feature on Monday evening.
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That would mean Isak will have missed two competitive games this season as he continues to try and force a move away.
Newcastle United’s striker hint
Anthony Gordon again looks set to start up front, as per Keith Downie in the video.
Howe was impressed with Gordon’s performance against Aston Villa and he certainly was a willing runner.
His speed, along with Anthony Elanga and Harvey Barnes, caused Villa real problems.
Still, goals are an issue. As good as that trio are, it’s hard to rely on anyone to actually put the ball in the back of the net.
The Newcastle United manager saw his side take 16 shots against Villa, with only three hitting the target.
However, it doesn’t seem like he’ll be turning to either William Osula or Sean Neave up front. While they are natural strikers, it looks as if Gordon will continue in that role.
Two exciting Newcastle United youngsters continue to train
Newcastle appear to rate Park Seung-soo and Travis Hernes very highly.
The duo were both spotted being put through their paces with the rest of their teammates in the build-up to the Liverpool game.
Seung-soo, who impressed during pre-season, was on the bench at Villa Park. Hernes wasn’t but was involved in the build-up to the trip to the Birmingham giants.
Clearly, it’s difficult to imagine either of them starting a game against Liverpool at this stage of their careers but they certainly appear to have an immediate future under Howe in the Newcastle first-team.