Eddie Howe confident Alexander Isak will stay at Newcastle as he misses friendly

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe excused Alexander Isak from travelling to their friendly with Celtic to shield him from transfer speculation but is confident the striker will remain at St James’ Park.

Isak went home as the rest of the squad returned from an Austrian training camp on Friday but he was never earmarked to play in Glasgow.

The 25-year-old, who pulled out of Sweden’s friendly double header last month because of a groin injury, has been linked with a potential move to Liverpool this summer and, more recently, with Saudi club Al-Hilal.

Howe is desperate to keep the forward, who netted 27 goals last season.

Asked to explain the absence of Isak and Joelinton after the 4-0 defeat, Howe said: “Both players are fit but we just felt they weren’t ready to play.

“Joe’s coming back from a long injury, so we need to make sure when he’s introduced he’s ready.

“Alex has trained this week and is fine but we didn’t want to take the risk with him. Alex was with us all the way through Austria but, with all the speculation and things that are going on, I decided to send him home.

“It’s purely the last thing Alex wants, if he’s not playing, to be sat in the stand. Being under that scrutiny, I don’t think that’s fair to the player.”

A massive thank you to the 10,000 Geordies who travelled to Celtic Park this afternoon for your incredible support