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Alexander Isak

Alan Pardew thinks Alexander Isak’s head has been turned by Liverpool as he lauded Eddie Howe’s decision to leave the striker out of the Newcastle United squad for their latest pre-season friendly.

The Swede was absent for the Magpies as they were thrashed 4-0 by Celtic.

The match was Newcastle’s first game since reports linking the Reds with a move for the striker ramped up, with Howe admitting that Isak had been left at home in response to the transfer speculation.

And former Newcastle manager Alan Pardew, who was in charge when Liverpool signed Andy Carroll from the Magpies in a £35m deal in January 2011, believes his old club now face a battle to retain the striker’s services.

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“Reading between the lines, it looks very much like the player’s affected, I would suggest,” Pardew said on TalkSPORT.

You’ve got to call it as you see it.

“What you find is when players are getting targeted by the bigger clubs, the other players, the senior players, usually side with the player, regardless of what the club decides to do.

“They all want to progress in their career, they all want a bigger contract, a bigger club.

Don’t think they don’t, they do.

“The Liverpool thing, I would suggest the other players are not that bothered.

So they want to see that the club are treating the players correctly.

“You have to try and find a fine balance between saying to the player, ‘It’s your duty to play and if I ask you to play, you’re going to play’ or ‘But on this occasion, just sit this out’.

“That might make things a little bit easier for everybody.

So there is a real asset there that Newcastle will not want to lose.

“But Newcastle have lost big players to Liverpool in the past.
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