Newcastle United’s stars have officially landed in Singapore ahead of the club’s much anticipated, ‘financially lucrative’ pre-season tour of Asia.

Of course, the elephant in the room is that Alexander Isak has not travelled to the Far East, having communicated to the club’s higher-ups his intention to explore his options elsewhere.

It’s an uncomfortable situation for Eddie Howe and the squad, considering how highly everyone regards Isak for his talent, and he’s clearly a popular figure in the changing room.

But some players have now openly addressed the ongoing saga, insisting that, as a collective, we have to be calm and back the club and its players as we navigate this rough patch of the pre-season.

Bruno: “The club has the same ambition as me!”

Speaking to the Daily Mail, club captain Bruno Guimaraes has defended Newcastle against criticisms that the Isak situation is a sign of them losing ambition.

It was reported in The Mail on Thursday evening that a big source of Isak’s frustration that the club valued him as a world-class player, but then-Sporting Director Paul Mitchell refused to consider a wage increase for the star.

This, coupled with a perceived lack of major investment in terms of the squad and the club’s facilities, looks to have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.

But Guimaraes has insisted that the club still retains high levels of ambition and desire, but fully understands Isak’s own desire to be play at the very top.

“I’m really close to him. He’s a good guy. He’s been through some rough things at this moment. My focus is with the lads. Isak is something I cannot control.”

“They told us he was there in Newcastle because of his injury. Of course he’s a top player for us and he’s going to be a miss on this trip. We need him ready as soon as possible.”

Speaking more on the club’s ambition, the Brazilian affirmed that we are still active in the transfer market, and he feels confident that the higher-ups will pull through and do what’s best for the club.

“We are still in the market and looking for new options. But we’ve had success before and we can have success again.”

“I’m more focussed on the players we have here. My job for the club is to try to keep the lads motivated.”

“Since I signed for the club I’ve always had this ambition. If I lose it, I’ll go back to Brazil and play there! I think the club has the same ambition as me.”

Burn: Isak ‘going through a rough moment’

Dan Burn meanwhile has reiterated that the club can only control “what we can control” as we face the very real prospect that Isak has already played his final game for the club.

When asked if he understands Isak’s motive to leave, the defender responded: “That’s a question for Alex to answer.”

“Alex hasn’t trained with a thigh issue that’s been ongoing since he’s been back that first few days.”

“He’s obviously a big player for us, but we do have a lot of quality in the squad as well. Bringing Anthony (Elanga) in as well, which I think was a great signing.”

“You always want to reinforce and bring in players. It’s nice to keep the squad fresh. But as I said, for us as a team, as a staff and players, it’s about controlling what we can control.”