Liverpool transfer target Alexander Isak has been slammed for not training with Newcastle United in the last week or so. The Swede opted against going on tour with his teammates in Asia.
And former Premier League winger Shaun Wright-Phillips says he has been disappointed by Isak staying at home. The Newcastle striker was training alone in Spain last week while his teammates were in Singapore and South Korea.
"I think he's handled it very badly because everyone knows you want out, but you should go and train," Wright-Phillips told Ace Odds. "You’re not affecting the club, you're affecting the players you've been to war with for the last three seasons."
Isak had a minor thigh injury before the tour, and manager Eddie Howe confirmed that he asked not to travel with Newcastle. But Wright-Phillips says that is no excuse.
"Have a little bit of respect for your teammates, turn up to train, and then go home," he said. "You want to play football at the end of the day, and the fans have been unbelievable for him.
"I feel like he should have just showed up. Everyone's been in a position in football where they don't want to be somewhere. But there's only some who don't show up for training.
"He's obviously been advised to do that because the person I've seen talk and be around in Newcastle doesn't seem like that's in his character. And we're seeing little bits of Isak now, the way he's handling this by not turning up to training."
Before Newcastle will soften its stance on selling Isak, it will need to source a replacement. But it remains to be seen whether or not the Magpies can convince Benjamin Sesko to pick St James' Park over Manchester United.
"He's like any other player," Howe said this week when he was asked if Isak will return to training this week with Newcastle now back in the UK. "We would expect him to come in and train as normal."
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"There is also another way to look at this," he added. "You have to earn the right to train with us. We're Newcastle United.
"The player has a responsibility here to be part of a team and part of a squad. You have to act in the right way.
"So that is also at play here. We will make sure that any player does that to earn the right to train with the group. No player can expect to act poorly and train with the group as normal."
Liverpool.com says: The suggestion seems to be that Isak felt Newcastle had promised him one thing heading into the summer but then changed its stance. There is plenty more to run on this saga, it seems.