Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe openly pleaded for a quick resolution to the ongoing Alexander Isak transfer saga looming over Tyneside. The Magpies boss insisted that his star striker is more than welcome back in the first team, but the club’s travelling fans offered a rather different message.

“Certainly early preseason, I haven’t shied away from saying that was a difficult period for the players, for us, because any change is always difficult to react to,” Howe said.

Isak was left out as he tries to push for a move to defending champion Liverpool.