Eddie Howe Not Giving Up Hope That Isak Will Play For Newcastle Again

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe conceded that he cannot afford to have wantaway striker Alexander Isak involved in his squad amid rumours of a move away. 

Howe was speaking following Newcastle's 2-2 draw with Espanyol in a pre-season friendly on Friday, with Isak once again absent from the Magpies side. 

The Sweden international, who scored 23 goals in the Premier League last season, has been linked with a switch to Liverpool during the summer transfer window. 

Reports have emerged that Newcastle have turned down an initial bid believed to be around the £110m mark, with the Magpies valuing Isak at around £150m. 

Isak missed Newcastle's pre-season tour of Asia with a minor thigh issue, though it has been reported that Isak has asked to leave the club. 

Last week, Howe said that Isak must "earn the right" to return to training with Newcastle, and offered an update on the situation surrounding the striker. 

"We've had discussions, and it's clear at the moment we can't have him involved with the group," Howe said. 

"I don't know how long that will be for. It's clear I can't involve him with the team at the moment. He is training later than the rest of the squad.

"There have been discussions since the tour. I don't think disciplinary action has happened. He is here, so, of course, he has a future at Newcastle.

"From our perspective, we would love to have him back with the team, but the situation has to be right for that to happen."

Away from the transfer speculation, Newcastle played out an entertaining draw with Espanyol, with the LaLiga side scoring a late goal to seal a share of the spoils. 

Edu Exposito's sensational strike gave Espanyol the lead in the 17th minute before Matt Targett's header restored parity at St. James' Park four minutes later. 

Targett then conceded a penalty after tangling with Roberto Fernandez, but debutant Aaron Ramsdale was on hand to brilliantly save Javi Puado's effort from 12 yards. 

Newcastle edged in front in the 77th minute when Jacob Murphy punished Espanyol's attempts to play out from the back with a calm finish past Marko Dmitrovic. 

But with just a minute remaining, Kike Garcia steered a fine header from Pere Milla's cross beyond Ramsdale to ensure Newcastle's winless run in pre-season continued.

The Magpies ended the game with an expected goals (xG) total of 0.99 from their nine shots to Espanyol's 1.18 from their eight efforts, four of which were on target. 

And despite the late disappointment, Howe believes the test will stand his team in good stead, though he acknowledged there is plenty of work to do ahead of their opening Premier League game against Aston Villa on August 16. 

"It was a good game in that respect because they were direct and gave us a taste of what a lot of Premier League teams won't hesitate to do here," Howe said. 

"It was interesting. There was good bits and bad bits, but I would say there is a lot to work on for individuals and the team. But in amongst that, there are some good bits. 

"I think that we will be better again physically for the 90 minutes today. There will be a lot of players who will have come through some important minutes, which is what we want."