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Sweden manager Jon Dahl Tomasson has leapt to the defense of Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, who wants to leave the North East and sign for Liverpool this summer.
So far, Newcastle has been unwilling to change its not-for-sale stance, with Liverpool having seen one bid turned down. But Isak missed the Magpies' goalless draw with Aston Villa at the weekend, and he has been training alone rather than with his teammates.
"First of all: Alex is an extremely professional player," Dahl Tomasson told Fotbollskanalen. "A fantastic character and personality. I have spoken to Alex a lot during this period.
"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 whole 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."
Sweden will face Slovenia and Kosovo in World Cup qualifiers next month. But it remains to be seen whether Isak will be involved if he doesn't play for Newcastle — or Liverpool — in the meantime to regain sharpness.
"There is time," Dahl Tomasson said. "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."
Newcastle fans turned on Isak in the away end, loudly singing about him being "greedy". But head coach Eddie Howe then insisted that there was still a route back for the 25-year-old forward.
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"Nothing has changed," Howe said. "The door is well and truly open. He has to decide what he wants to do. We would like a resolution. We need that clarity. You don't need any kind of distraction.
"I am not in control of that. There is one person who can control that. Let's wait and see. I have made my stance clear. I am concentrating on the team."
Liverpool.com says: Isak is not wanting to make the move for financial reasons. If he does force something through then it will be because he wants to win major silverware. Unfortunately for Newcastle, his chances of doing that are much greater at Anfield.
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