Newcastle manager Eddie Howe says the "door is well and truly open" for Alexander Isak's return - despite fans directing their anger towards the wantaway striker.
Isak was left out of the squad for Saturday's Premier League opener at Aston Villa as he seeks a move away from the club and his absence was keenly felt in a goalless draw where the visitors failed to make their attacking dominance count.
The Sweden international was the subject of a rejected offer of £110m plus add-ons from Liverpool earlier in the window, but continues to train away from the first team and remains determined to join the Reds.
Supporters vented their frustration at the full-time whistle, calling the wantaway striker "greedy", and while Howe said the club needed "clarity", he insisted that route to reintegration remains open.
"Nothing has changed," Howe said when questioned about the latest on Isak's future. "The door is well and truly open.
"He has to decide what he wants to do. We would like a resolution. We need that clarity. You don't need any kind of distraction.
"I am not in control of that. There is one person who can control that. Let's wait and see. I have made my stance clear. I am concentrating on the team."
Newcastle supporters could be heard chanting against Isak during a post-match television interview with Anthony Gordon, who played as a false nine in the striker's absence.
"It has been difficult because we're a tight-knit group," Gordon told TNT Sports. "But you see today, we've still got that spirit and togetherness.
"That will never go, regardless of individuals. We're still together. Things like this can make you better in the end."
Asked later about the chants, Howe added: "The supporters acted really well today. If afterwards, they want to say something, they are free to do that."
Analysis: Strength of fan feeling makes Isak return difficult
Sky Sports News' Keith Downie at Villa Park:
"The growing sense of frustration and anger from the Newcastle fans was evident at the end of the game when they sang 'There's only one greedy *******' as the players left the field.
"Eddie Howe had asked the fans to back the team. They left it till the end to make their feelings clear.
"Howe said afterwards the door is still open for Alexander Isak, and that only one person can give a resolution to the situation, and they need one. However, the strength of feeling from the Newcastle fans would, for me, make it even more difficult for Isak to return.
"Could their minds be changed? Time will tell. But I felt watching that today, it was such a sad situation. Newcastle had all their players available, apart from their talisman. With Isak in the team, they would have won.
"The supporters are upset, they're angry. They don't understand why a player earning £150,000 per week can be so unhappy. They would give their right arm to be the No 9 for Newcastle, and they can't get their heads around why Isak wouldn't want to be, or why he would conduct himself the way he has.
"There are young kids with 'Isak 14' shirts everywhere you look in Newcastle. There's fans with Isak tattooed on their arm because he scored in the cup final.
"He reduced tens of thousands of them to tears with that goal against Liverpool. Who would have thought that, just a few months later, he would have angered them the way he has?
"Where do Newcastle go from here? It's hard to tell. I still think it's 50/50 whether he leaves or not. If he stays, it feels like this circus will carry on and that's something Howe will not want. He said today he's made it perfectly clear what his stance is - he wants Isak back. But he's going to have to do the mother of all man-management jobs on Isak to get him back firing.
"If I had been given a pound for every time I had been asked what's happening with Isak, I could have bought him myself."
Analysis: Newcastle miss Isak's cutting edge
Sky Sports' Nick Wright:
Newcastle presented a united front after their goalless draw with Aston Villa. Eddie Howe described their performance as "magnificent". Anthony Gordon and Dan Burn talked up their togetherness and team spirit in difficult circumstances.
A point at Villa Park represents a positive result but they would likely have been celebrating all three had Alexander Isak been available. Their star striker, training on his own as he continues to hold out for a move to Liverpool, was sorely missed.
Isak, scorer of 23 Premier League goals last season, would doubtless have buried one of the first-half chances that fell to his team-mates. The game was a reminder of his importance. Newcastle have failed to win any of their last six Premier League games without him. They have not even scored in the last four.
Howe improvised in his absence, using Gordon centrally with Harvey Barnes and Anthony Elanga either side. "I really like it," said Gordon of his new role afterwards. "As my career progresses, I think I might end up more central."
He had his moments. Most notably with the run in behind to force Ezri Konsa's red card. But overall this was another reminder of the huge task Newcastle will face to replace Isak if he does go. With fans turning against him, it is a reality they may soon have to confront.
