‘I was in Alexander Isak’s shoes – balaclava-clad men confronted me at 3am’

There’s plenty of tension around Alexander Isak’s potential move from Newcastle to Liverpool this summer – evoking memories of Wayne Rooney’s flirtations with leaving Manchester United

Few footballers can relate to Alexander Isak’s current situation better than Wayne Rooney. Like Isak, the Manchester United legend once found himself at the centre of his fanbase’s fury – leading to a frightening situation involving multiple men in balaclavas.

Back in 2010, Rooney told United he wanted to leave, having grown disillusioned with the club’s direction. Whispers of moves to both Manchester City and Chelsea were rife, and the uncertainty surrounding his future was badly affecting his form, having scored just one Premier League goal by New Year’s Day.

Such was the outrage in United circles that several angry supporters turned up outside Rooney’s house in the middle of the night in an apparent attempt to intimidate him. “We had a group of lads outside my house in balaclavas at 3am in the morning,” he recalled, speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show.

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“It is scary. Coleen was sat up feeding Kai and she woke me up, we phoned the police and I went down. What they didn’t know was that I was going in the next morning to sign a new deal.

“I went down to say, ‘What are you doing at this time in the morning, it is not right.’ I think that they thought them coming to my house made me sign my new deal!

“If you have frustration, I think there’s banter, and fans will have a go at players on the pitch, but sometimes it goes too far. Turning up at players’ houses, I think that is wrong.”

Rooney’s standoff with United was quickly forgotten once he signed fresh terms. For Isak, though, a similar resolution feels far less likely.

The 25-year-old Swede looks to have burned bridges at Newcastle by refusing to play as he pushes for a blockbuster move to Liverpool. With the Magpies holding firm on their £150million valuation, Isak has resorted to drastic measures – skipping the club’s pre-season tour of Asia and pledging to never represent the club again, even if a move away doesn’t materialise.

While Rooney’s own flirtation with the exit door ended in reconciliation, the former England captain believes that ship has sailed for Isak, and that a clean break might now suit all parties.

“Isak is a top player,” he said. “It is very difficult for him to stay at Newcastle – I have seen a lot of things with the club’s fans saying he has gone about it the wrong way.

“You don’t know what they are saying at board level but you imagine they would want him to stay, because for Newcastle to lose Isak when they are trying to build and try and form a squad to challenge for the league – it is a big loss for them.

“The difference now, with all the financial fair play and PSR, for Newcastle, it might benefit them to sell him to free up money, bring more players in and actually make the squad a little bit stronger.

“For Isak as well, it is an opportunity to join Liverpool, who have just won the Premier League. It is such a huge opportunity for him.”

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