Newcastle United issue official Alexander Isak update after delayed pre-season return
Newcastle United star striker Alexander Isak has reported for pre-season training.
Newcastle United’s squad is back to a full complement for their five-day training camp in Austria.
The majority of first-team players reported back for pre-season training last Monday, with those representing their respective countries on international duty last month given an extra week off.
Newcastle beat National League side Carlisle United 4-0 in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Benton on Saturday, with Howe fielding two different XIs made up of senior and young players.
While several youngsters are likely to remain around the camp during pre-season, the group has been bolstered by the return of their international stars ahead of Saturday’s friendly at Celtic.
Alexander Isak and Sandro Tonali back in pre-season training
Newcastle flew to Innsbruck on Monday morning and will be based in the Alpine village of Seefeld in Tyrol for their training camp.
Photos of Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn and Anthony Gordon at Newcastle Airport were uploaded to the club’s official social media platforms, however the lack of images of Alexander Isak and Sandro Tonali had supporters speculating on their whereabouts.
Isak was carrying a groin injury at the back end of last season, which forced him to withdraw from international duty with Sweden. Tonali represented Italy before getting married to his partner Juliette Pastore earlier this month.
But any fears that Isak and Tonali hadn’t made the trip were put to bed on Monday afternoon when Newcastle uploaded photos of the pair with the caption: “Look who’s here!”
The pair were also joined by Anthony Elanga, who became Newcastle’s first major summer signing last week in a £52million deal from Nottingham Forest.
Newcastle United behind closed doors training camp
The trip to Austria wasn’t confirmed by Newcastle until this morning, though supporters were made aware last week through the Seefeld official website.
A statement on the Seefeld website read: “The English football club Newcastle United will hold its training camp this year in Seefeld, where the impressive altitude and excellent infrastructure provide optimal conditions for training.
“For over 25 years, the Seefeld region has welcomed international top teams, offering them an ideal platform to prepare for the upcoming challenges. Newcastle United has firmly established itself in the Premier League and won its first title in the 2024/25 season by defeating Liverpool FC 2-1 in the EFL Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
“With a talented mix of experienced players and rising talents, the team approaches the new season of the Premier League filled with motivation and looks forward to intense training sessions in Seefeld. Public training sessions and friendly matches will be announced in due time.”
It follows a similar schedule to last year when Howe’s side visited Adidas HQ in Herzogenaurach and played a behind-closed-doors friendly against SpVgg Unterhaching. They then returned to England to face Hull City before jetting out to Tokyo.
This time around, the Magpies travel to Celtic before flying to Singapore to play Arsenal and then Seoul to face the K-League All Stars and Tottenham Hotspur.
A weekend double-header against La Liga sides Espanyol and Atletico Madrid at St James’ Park mark the end of pre-season before their Premier League campaign gets underway with an away trip to Aston Villa on Saturday, August 16.