Liverpool and Newcastle fans were quick to react after hearing what Eddie Howe said about Alexander Isak’s future at the club on Saturday.
Isak, 25, has been heavily linked with a potential move to Liverpool for several days, while Al Hilal have also shown interest in the Swedish international.
And just when Newcastle fans thought they were off the hook, as the Reds are progressing their pursuit of Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike, it emerged that Isak was left out of the Magpies’ squad ahead of their 4-0 defeat to Celtic in Glasgow, Scotland, on Saturday.
However, initial reports suggested that this was due to his minutes being managed and unconnected to his future at the club.
Of course, Howe was then asked why both Joelinton and Isak were not included in his matchday squad for the Celtic game, and his answer has excited some Liverpool fans.
“Both (Joelinton and Isak) are fit but not ready to play,” Howe told journalist Mark Douglas.
“Alex has trained and is fine, but we didn’t want to take the risk with him.”
He added: “It’s difficult for me to give 100% clarity on any player. Alex is happy at Newcastle, he loves the players, the staff, and the team. I’m confident he’ll be here at the start of the season.”
Then, another set of quotes emerged via Sky Sports’ Keith Downey.
“It was my decision,” Howe explained. “He [Isak] travelled back to Glasgow with us, but I decided to send him home due to the speculation around him. The last thing he wanted is to be sat in the stand watching, that wasn’t fair to him. But I’m confident he will be a Newcastle player come the end of the window.”
And Liverpool fans wasted no time in giving their thoughts on the Newcastle head coach’s stance.
One said: “I am reeled back in unfortunately.”
Another added: “Gotta be something in the rumours then.”
A third claimed: “I’m maybe reading more into this than I should, but that sounds to me like he’s unsettled.”
Meanwhile, some Newcastle fans were not pleased with how Howe spoke on Saturday.
One said: “So his [Isak’s] head’s been turned then. Off you pop, you don’t want to play for us, don’t bother.”
Another claimed: “Yeah, this doesn’t sound completely true. It’s a very typical Howe response to an uncomfortable media question. Speculation or not, you don’t get sent home for speculation. There is speculation all year round. Not sure what is going on now.”
While a third exclaimed: “Bizarre decision, surely Isak would’ve been better at the game with 10,000 Newcastle fans chanting his name. Got a bad feeling about this now.”