Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe says want-away striker Alexander Isak must earn the right to train with his squad as he remains sidelined due to uncertainty over his future, Afrosport reports.
The 25-year-old Swedish striker of Eritrean heritage has expressed his desire to explore a move from St. James’ Park after he was left out of the pre-season tour of Asia and had been training with his former club Real Sociedad.
Newcastle have already rejected a £110 million bid from Liverpool for Isak last Friday, and BBC Sport has reported that the former Borussia Dortmund player was back in training on Tyneside on Monday
“He’s like any other player, we would expect him to come in and train as normal,” Howe said after returning from the club’s pre-season tour.
“You have to earn the right to train with us. We are Newcastle United. The player has a responsibility here to be part of a team and part of a squad – you have to act in the right way. So that is also at play here.
“We will make sure that any player does that to earn the right to train with the group. No player can expect to act poorly and train with the group as normal.”
Thank you, Seoul 🫶🇰🇷 pic.twitter.com/PL4ueRQPcE
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) August 3, 2025
Newcastle ended their pre-season tour of Asia with a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in Seoul on Sunday. They had lost to Arsenal and the K-League XI in their previous games.
They will conclude pre-season with games against Spanish sides Espanyol and Atletico Madrid before their Premier League opener away at Aston Villa on August 16.
