Newcastle United were on the receiving end of a 3-2 defeat against Liverpool in the Premier League on August 25, at St. James' Park.
The intense match saw Newcastle being left with 10 men on the pitch by the end of halftime, while Liverpool already secured a one-goal lead courtesy of Ryan Gravenberch.
After being tied 2-2 by the end of the first 90 minutes, Rio Ngumoha netted the winning goal for Liverpool in 90+10 minutes.
Newcastle also had Alexander Isak missing in action due to the ongoing dispute over the Swedish star's future at the Magpies.
Following the match, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe addressed concerns over Isak’s future, admitting that he has 'no idea' about the situation as the transfer deadline on September 1 approaches.
What did Eddie Howe say about Alexander Isak's future at Newcastle?
Howe mentioned that Newcastle would want ‘clarity’ and to ‘move forward’ with respect to Isak’s situation and said,
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"I've not been party to talks on this for a long time now. I’ve been preparing the team and giving my energy to players who want to play for Newcastle. That’s where my energy is best served. I have no idea where that (Isak) stands at this second. The ideal from Newcastle’s side is we want clarity, we want to move forward. We want the narrative to change," as per Liverpool Echo.
The English manager admitted that having Isak on the pitch 'would have made a difference' and added,
"We are in the start of the season now and we have to get results and try to focus on what we can control. We’ve given two really good performances and taken just one point. That’s tough for us to take. The quality of Alex would have made a difference in the two games, there’s no denying that. But that said the team functioned well and the performance doesn’t happen without every part of the team functioning well."
While it remains to be seen how Isak’s situation develops with reported heavy transfer interest from Liverpool, Newcastle will now be preparing to make the trip to Elland Road to face Leeds United on August 30.
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