Former Newcastle United midfielder Jeff Hendrick claims he wouldn't be surprised if his old club tried to sabotage the start of Alexander Isak's Liverpool career.

Isak's on-off move was the biggest transfer saga of the summer. The Swedish striker went on strike at Newcastle in a bid to force a move to Anfield.

The deal was finally completed on deadline day, with Newcastle accepting a fee of around £130m from Liverpool for the player. It was a British record transfer.

Isak, however, has struggled on his arrival at Anfield. The forward only has one goal to his game - a Carabao Cup strike - and has looked rusty and off the pace, as he works himself back to full fitness.

It was a situation Newcastle coaches predicted could happen once Isak went on strike. His disrupted pre-season meant he didn't play in any of the fixtures and he was forced to train alone away from the rest of the squad.

It meant his fitness and sharpness suffered and Hendrick - who was omitted from several Newcastle first-team squads after falling down the pecking order following his 2020 arrival - says he...