Alexander Isak hit by brutal chant from Newcastle fans upon return with Liverpool

Alexander Isak was met with an ugly reception from Newcastle United fans on his return to St James' Park ahead of Liverpool's opening Premier League game.

A hostile atmosphere was expected given his antics before leaving the club last summer, notably refusing to train or play for Newcastle to force his British-record £125 million transfer to Liverpool on deadline day.

Isak was once a fan favourite in the North East after playing a huge part in their Carabao Cup triumph, ironically against his current employers, in March 2025.

But the Swedish international is now regarded as a villain among Magpies supporters, as his petulant actions ultimately tarnished his legacy.

On Sunday, Isak returned to St James' Park for the first time since exiting the club, and the 26-year-old received a taste of what was to come in the build-up to the showdown.

An army of baying fans arrived early at the stadium to vent their vitriol towards a player they used to worship.

As he stepped off the bus, the striker was met with a hostile atmosphere, including deafening boos - which he tried to drown out with AirPods - while there were also chants calling him a "rat", a term commonly used to describe a player who 'betrays' their former club.

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Isak was named in the starting lineup for Andoni Iraola's first Premier League game in charge of the Reds, deploying him in front of Florian Wirtz with Cody Gakpo on the left and Rio Ngumoha on the right.

The talented centre-forward, who only scored three goals in 14 top-flight appearances for Liverpool last term during an injury-hit campaign, is looking to get the Iraola era off to a flyer by scoring against his former club.

Matthias Jaissle comments on Alexander Isak's return

The ugly reception Isak received upon his St James' Park return was the major talking point, but so was the arrival of Matthias Jaissle, who took charge of his first Premier League match.

Jaissle was named the Magpies boss following Eddie Howe's shock departure, and when asked about his thoughts on Isak, he rallied fans to get behind the team instead of antagonising the opposition.

"I like him a lot; he has pure quality as a player. I don't know him as a human being but our lads will just focus on themselves," he said.

“This is the most important thing. And I also think our fans will focus on our lads, engaging with them, supporting them, that will be the most important thing.”

Having arrived in England as a relatively unknown quantity, Jaissle is determined to start life with a bang, and he named three new signings in his starting lineup against the Reds.

Arthur Dedic, a £29.5 million signing from Benfica, started at right-back, while highly-rated 18-year-old Sean Steur - who joined on a five-year deal from Ajax - was deployed alongside Lewis Miley in midfield. Goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek also made his debut for the Toon.

Newcastle finished 12th in the Premier League last term, but with an exciting German manager at the helm, they will be looking to improve on that, despite losing several of their best players.