Gary Neville admits he is starting to express some sympathy for Alexander Isak in his attempts to leave Newcastle United.
That is unlikely to go down well at Newcastle United, with many supporters now in open revolt against Isak.
Isak does not want to play for Newcastle amid interest from Liverpool and is seemingly doing everything he can to force a move away from St James’ Park.
Isak has been criticised for his conduct at Newcastle, and the club could reportedly fine him heavily for missing the 0-0 draw with Aston Villa last weekend.
Still, Newcastle insist Isak will not be leaving this summer. Liverpool are yet to meet their valuation and the Magpies continue to struggle to sign replacements.
It has been an ugly saga for all involved and it remains to be seen if Liverpool return with a fresh offer before the transfer window shuts on September 1.
Neville, however, admits he’s started to side with players in Isak’s position in recent years.
- Who is Alexander Isak? The striker who burned his Newcastle United reputation to force £125m Liverpool transfer
Gary Neville reluctantly supports Alexander Isak
The former Manchester United and England defender admitted he would have hated what Isak did a few years ago.
However, Neville suggests that as he’s got older, he believes players may sometimes be right to push back against clubs considering how they are often treated.
Though the pundit hardly provides a glowing reference of Isak’s behaviour, Neville admits it could just be a necessary step to get what he wants.
Speaking on the Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan & Tim Howard show, Neville said: “Look, I think when I first came out of football and out of the [Manchester] United dressing room 15 years ago, I would have been very blunt about Isak’s actions.
“I’d have said it’s a disgrace, I’d have said he’s letting himself down, he’s letting his family down, he’s letting football down, he’s letting Newcastle fans down and I would have given him a very difficult time.
“I think as you get a little bit older and you recognise that football is a very cut-throat business and clubs, to be fair, they do what they want with players at times and treat them like pieces of meat.
“A football player’s career is only probably 10-12 years long. They’ve got to try and maximise that career, not just in financial terms but obviously in trophies.
“I’ve maybe got a little bit more sympathy in terms of players wanting to go and better themselves and go and play for clubs that they win trophies at and earn more money.
“You’ve got to say Liverpool is one of the great clubs in the world and he may have to be a bad employee shall we say for the next few weeks to get what he wants.
“If he’d have carried on training and carried on playing and not agitated, would Newcastle have sold him? They’d have probably said ‘No, he’s been okay, let’s him keep him’.
“I think he may feel like he’s probably had to do what he needed to do to get where he wants to.
“But there’s part of me that hates it. Instinctively, we do our jobs properly, we get up in the morning, we’re proud to basically sort of go and represent ourselves. We’re paid and our contracts are signed, you stand by that and you should honour it.
“However, football is a cut-throat business that, to be fair, sometimes isn’t friendly to players.”
Why Alexander Isak wants to leave Newcastle United
Isak wanted Newcastle to show more ambition, with updates on a new training ground and a new stadium few and far between.
Furthermore, Isak was disappointed he didn’t get a new contract at Newcastle in 2024, which is generally seen as the broken promise he was talking about in his statement posted on Tuesday night.
The Sweden star is not wrong for wanting to leave Newcastle. Liverpool could surely offer more money, while they also definitely offer a much more realistic chance of winning major trophies on a more immediate basis.
Still, to try and have forced it has seemingly only strengthened the club’s resolve. Indeed, Newcastle will reportedly tell Isak that he’s not joining Liverpool.
It didn’t have to play out like this…
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
