Isak was not part of the Newcastle squad at Parkhead this afternoon as the Magpies kicked off their pre-season programme with a 4-0 defeat to Celtic.
Howe insists the decision to exclude the striker from the matchday squad was taken because of fitness considerations, but Isak’s absence comes amid ongoing uncertainty over his future.
While Howe was keen to stress that there has been no formal offer for Isak this summer, Liverpool have signalled their willingness to pay up to £120m for the Swedish international, who has also been linked with a possible move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal.
Howe spelled out Newcastle’s determination to hold on to last season’s leading goalscorer in the wake of today’s game in Glasgow, but was also forced to concede he was unable to provide any cast-iron guarantees over what would happen over the course of the next few weeks.
“I think it’s difficult for me to ever give 100 per cent clarity on any player,” said the Newcastle boss. “I’d never 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.
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“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.”
Isak flew into Glasgow with the rest of Newcastle’s squad last night, having spent last week at the Magpies’ training camp in Austria.
However, unlike Joelinton, who watched today’s game from the stands after being left out of the squad because of his own fitness issues, Isak was given permission to return to Tyneside rather than attend Parkhead.
“Both players are fit, but we just felt they weren’t ready to play,” said Howe. “Everyone through pre-season goes through challenges. Joe is coming back from a long injury, so we have to make sure that 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 today.
“The reason why he’s not here is purely that the last thing Alex wants if he is not playing is to be sat in the stand, being under that scrutiny. I don’t that’s fair to the player so if he wasn’t going to play today, which we agreed, which we mutually agreed that he needs a little bit more training time, then it’s best he’s not here.”
Newcastle will head to the Far East next week ahead of pre-season matches in Singapore and South Korea, and Howe expects Isak to be involved in those games.
“I absolutely expect Alex to be in Singapore and South Korea, and playing in the games over there. Absolutely, yeah.
“Is the desire to keep him right through the club? Absolutely, yeah, absolutely. There is no one who feels any differently. From board to staff to players. We value his qualities, as a person, so it’s very strong.”