Sweden coach Jon Dahl Tomasson has defended Alexander Isak over his conduct as he tries to push through a move from Newcastle United to Liverpool.
Newcastle are reported to have rejected a £110million bid from Liverpool for Isak, who did not play in any of the Magpies' pre-season games and is refusing to train and play for the club for whom he has scored 62 goals in 109 appearances. Isak scored Newcastle's second goal in their 2-1 EFL Cup final win over Liverpool at Wembley in March.
A host of pundits have slammed Isak for effectively going on strike, while Newcastle fans voiced their anger towards Isak after their 0-0 draw at Aston Villa on Saturday.
There remains no sign of an end to the impasse, but Tomasson, who spent the 1997-98 season at Newcastle as a player, revealed he has spoken to Isak regarding the situation.
Isak situation "complex"
"First of all, Alex is an extremely professional player," Tomasson told Fotbollskanalen.
"[He is] A fantastic character and personality. I have spoken to Alex a lot during this period.
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"Situations like this are quite complex. These are extremely complex environments that the players operate in.
"I’m sure it will work out in the end, but you have to know the whole picture before you draw conclusions. That’s always a good tip.
"I don’t think we know [the full story]. I don’t know the whole picture either. It’s quite normal because there’s a lot of politics in a football club.
"But one thing is for sure: Alex is a great guy and very professional. We should all be very careful about drawing conclusions because we don’t know the bigger picture.
"There is time. He is a professional and I know he has been training.
"Of course, he hasn’t trained with a team and hasn’t played any matches. Let’s wait and see. We will have a good chat, Alex and I, and hopefully he will be back in team training soon."
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- Eddie Howe reveals transfer stance before Aston Villa clash as Isak uncertainty persists