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Head coach Howe insisted after the game he was not party to what was said during those discussions, but admitted a decision over the Sweden international – the subject of a rejected £110million (€127m) bid from the Reds – was needed sooner rather than later.
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Howe said: "I’ve not been party to talks on this for a long time now.
I’ve been preparing the team and giving all my energy to the players that want to play for Newcastle.
"We want clarity, we want to move forward, we want the narrative to change because we’re in the start of the season now.
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Everyone has told me it’s a clear red; my first opinion was slightly different, but maybe I’ve got the wrong angle, so I’ve got sympathy for him."
"It was just a great game to watch, but not because of tactics or good football, but because every single second of the game, everybody was at the front of their seat."