Newcastle Faces Premier League Start Amid Isak Speculation

Newcastle, Aug 15 (AP) — Alexander Isak will not be available for selection as Newcastle kicks off the Premier League season, amid ongoing speculation about the Swedish striker's future with the club. Isak attracted interest from Liverpool during the offseason and has been training separately from the Newcastle squad, having expressed a desire to explore his options.

“Alex's situation has been unchanged for a while,” Newcastle manager Eddie Howe stated on Friday, the day before the team faces Aston Villa in its league opener. “That will continue to be the case.”

Howe declined to reveal whether he has asked Isak to feature against Villa, emphasizing the confidentiality of those discussions. He did acknowledge, however, that coping without the influential striker has been challenging during the offseason.

“Certainly early preseason, I haven't shied away from saying that was a difficult period for the players, for us, because any change is always difficult to react to,” Howe noted. “You can see that this summer in our early preseason performances.

“But I think the players are really strong mentally, they are a really tight group, they have really come together in the latter stages of preseason.” Howe expressed confidence in the squad's resilience but admitted the situation is “not ideal” and urged everyone to step up in Isak's absence.

Isak, who transferred to Newcastle from Real Sociedad in 2022, proved crucial last season with 23 Premier League goals, placing him second in the scoring charts behind Liverpool's Mohamed Salah. Meanwhile, Newcastle is nearing the signing of midfielder Jacob Ramsey from Villa, though Howe confirmed that Ramsey would not feature in Saturday’s match. (AP) AM AM AM

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