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Alexander Isak could take a leaf out of Carlos Tevez's book if the Newcastle striker decides to return to the team and reconsider his reported decision of never playing for the club again.
The 25-year-old has been quite open about his desire to leave St. James' Park this summer, with Liverpool being his preferred destination. The current Premier League champions had a $148M offer turned down for Isak just a few weeks ago. Since then, the Swede has been training alone as he tries to orchestrate a move to Anfield.
Despite Eddie Howe's readiness to welcome Isak back into the squad – once the transfer drama is resolved – it's been reported that the goalscorer has no plans to ever play for the Magpies again.
While there's been little word from the Swede's camp over the summer, he broke his silence earlier this week on social media, accusing his club of "breaking promises". In response, Newcastle issued their own statement, saying that the striker "will be welcomed back when he is ready to rejoin his team-mates".
As things stand, Isak has shown no inclination to reintegrate with his team-mates and he won't be playing against Liverpool on Monday night, reports the Mirror.
However, should the Swede eventually change his mind or at least accept his situation once the transfer window closes in eight days' time, he could follow the example set by Tevez, who found himself in a similar predicament nearly 15 years ago with Manchester City.
The future of Argentine legend at the Etihad was thrown into turmoil in September 2011 when he was accused by then-City manager Roberto Mancini of refusing to come on as a substitute in a Champions League match against Bayern Munich.
Tevez dismissed the Italian's accusation, clarifying that he only refused to warm up and labelled the situation a misunderstanding. Despite his explanation, the club suspended him for two weeks and launched an investigation into the incident.
A month after the European match, Tevez returned to City but was told to train alone and was indefinitely sidelined from the first-team squad. After being docked two weeks' wages, Mancini stated the forward would be welcomed back if he apologised for his actions in Munich.
However, the saga continued when in November it emerged that Tevez had failed to report for training and was believed to have flown back to Argentina without City's permission.
Following his latest escapade, the club fined Tevez six weeks' wages and despite interest from AC Milan, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain during the January transfer window, no move materialized.
It was in February that Tevez made his comeback to the club after Mancini conceded that he could stage a return to Premier League action should he demonstrate his fitness. Later that month, Tevez apologised "sincerely and unreservedly" in a statement as he subsequently helped the club secure their first league title in 44 years.
Newcastle legend Alan Shearer believes that Isak could stage a remarkable comeback to Howe's squad, stating on The Rest Is Football podcast that it's not beyond the realm of possibility for the Swede to repair his relationship with the club.
"Yeah, I think so," the pundit said. "Yeah, there is [a way back]. I think it would have to be done before the transfer window closes, if that's gonna happen. And it's a big 'if. A huge 'if'. Because otherwise, it's just, 'Aw, I'm stuck here, and I have to play, or I have to do this,' y'know?
"He's made his feelings known. But yeah, I think there's always a way back. It's happened before. It was [Luka] Modric, wasn't it? One of a few, actually. Modric was at Tottenham [but] wanted to leave for Chelsea, I think?
"And was made to sit and play that season, and then he went to Real Madrid. And he was brilliant that season. So there is a way back. But I think it has to be done before the window closes."
Following Newcastle's match against Liverpool on Monday, they have one more fixture at Leeds next Saturday before the transfer window closes on Monday, September 1. If Isak is still at Newcastle by then, he'll face having to reintegrate himself into the team, at least for the sake of his World Cup ambitions with Sweden next summer.
The international break next month could also serve to mend relationships behind the scenes prior to Newcastle's home game against Wolves on Saturday, September 13.
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