Eddie Howe expressed his desire to see Alexander Isak return to Newcastle United despite him demanding a move to Premier League champions Liverpool ahead of Monday night’s clash between the two.
Isak, who helped the Magpies win their first trophy in 70 years last season, has become the centre of attention this summer after trying to force a move away from Newcastle.
The Sweden international trained alone during pre-season at his former club, Real Sociedad, before revealing in a statement that “the relationship can’t continue” as he seeks a dream move to Liverpool.
Howe, who has given his full support to Isak throughout, said ahead of his side’s clash with Liverpool that “100% I want to see him back in a Newcastle shirt”, though that is progressively unlikely.
“Of course [ I want him to], he is contracted to us and he is our player,” Howe said on Friday*. “My wish is that he will be playing with us on Monday.*
"These situations are far from ideal in terms of talking press wise. But as soon as I leave here I'm back with the team and the job never changes. The outside perception is one that is totally different to the normal.
"I haven't seen him this week but when I see him we speak as normal, there's no issues there. Of course it's a difficult situation from both sides and it's far from ideal for both parties.
“When we bump into each other we speak but as I say l've not seen him this week as he's training later on and detached from the group. We will catch up at some stage and hopefully speak soon."
Isak has trained alone since the start of the season (Photo by Serena Taylor/Getty Images)
Howe 'believes' Isak can make a return to squad
Liverpool have only placed one bid on the forward, a £110m enquiry that was swiftly rejected by Newcastle, but it is highly unlikely that the Magpies will open doors to a potential deal during the summer window.
And Howe is certain that he can rebuild his relationship with both his players and the fans, who, the majority, feel betrayed Isak.
“I believe he can,” said Howe when asked about redemption. “I believe the supporters will always react to how a player plays and what he gives to the team. There are always two sides to every story.
"There is always more than even I will know as there are conversations that have taken place away from my understanding of it and I've been away on pre-season and have become detached from the situation.
"My job now is to support Alex, care for him and see where we are in a weeks time.
"If Alex is to play for Newcastle again he has to be totally committed and I don't think it works any other way. That question is for another day but any player that puts on the shirt and steps out onto the pitch has to give his all for the team.”
"I'm not a fortune teller, I've got no way of knowing what will happen in terms of getting some finality on the situation.
"The club has to act in the best interests of Newcastle United and it will do that in every situation. I think it's a lose-lose situation for us to a degree as I don't think we can come out of this winning.
"It's a difficult situation to manage in the sense of what he's contributed to the football club and how professional he has been. It's been an unfortunate couple of months that look like it's coming to an end soon."