The real reason Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak missed training – amid talk of a Liverpool or Saudi transfer.

This summer has been awash with Alexander Isak transfer talk. First it was links to Liverpool, which have never seemed to go away, then Saudi clubs were thrown into the mix. All the while, the Magpies have been very clear in their messaging – they do not want to sell their star man.

Talk of £120-130million bids have been floated in the media in recent weeks, and that talk intensified at the weekend when the player was firstly not on the team sheet at Celtic Park, then Eddie Howe revealed he sent the striker back to Tyneside prior to the pre-season defeat, partly due to the speculation surrounding his future.

Shots then emerged today of the Swedish international training away from the rest of the players, sending fans, particularly Liverpool ones, into a frenzy online.

But NewcastleWorld has learned the real reason why Isak was seen away from the main group at the club’s Benton training base.

Having missed the 4-0 loss to Celtic, Eddie Howe explained the Isak situation. He claimed the player had been training, but needed to manage his minutes, as well as hinting transfer speculation had played its part.

He explained: “Alex has trained this week and he’s fine, but we didn’t want to take the risk with him today.

“Alex was with us all the way through Austria, but today, 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, is to be sat in the stand. Being under that scrutiny, I don’t think that’s fair to the player.

“So, if he wasn’t going to play today, which we mutually agreed, he needs a little bit more training time, then it’s best that he’s not here.”

NewcastleWorld can reveal that Isak had a scan this week, having felt some discomfort in his thigh. The scan is believed to have come back clear, but as a precaution, the player was put through his own session, which is common practice in these situations.

This was also the same with Lewis Hall, who trained away from the main group. Joelinton, who also missed Sunday, is thought to have been involved in full training, as the club prepare to jet off to the Singapore on Thursday for a weekend friendly with Arsenal.

Howe said: “Yeah, I think it’s difficult for me to give 100% clarity on any player. I’d never sit here and do that because it’s football and you never know what could happen. All I can say is that Alex is happy at Newcastle.

“He loves the players that he plays with, the staff, the team. I’ve never had any issue with him other than really enjoying seeing his talent and seeing him express himself. Certainly, I’m confident that he’s going to be here at the start of the season.”