Newcastle United defender Dan Burn wished his Liverpool-bound former teammate Alexander Isak “all the best” despite conceding that the striker’s behaviour this summer put everyone on Tyneside in a “tough situation.”

Isak publicly refused to play for Newcastle after the club blocked his move to Liverpool at the start of a tumultuous transfer saga. Eventually shunned from all first-team activity and left to train alone with a set of empty goals, tensions were high as the club’s talismanic figure did his best to force through an exit.

There were even accusations that Isak’s displeasure bled into the end of last season, when he allegedly conducted himself like a player who didn’t want the Magpies to qualify for the Champions League.

Newcastle secured top-tier European football and belatedly relented on their no-sale stance, banking a British-record £130 million ($175.6 million) for the 25-year-old.

“I’m glad it’s done,” was Burn’s wearisome assessment of a draining summer. “We wanted the transfer window to close just to have clarity,” the defender told assembled media ahead of England’s World Cup qualifier against Andorra.

“I’ve been in football long enough to understand that for a player the career is short and they have things they want to achieve. I’m happy it’s over. Alex is a mate and it’s a tough situation as you want him around to help the team. But [I] also understand for him what he needs to do personally. I’ve got nothing but good wishes for Alex.”

That forgiving stance has not been shared by supporters of the club, who branded the striker a “rat” amid rather more colourful chants during recent matches.

“There’s no animosity,” Burn insisted. “As a Newcastle fan myself, you know what Newcastle fans are like; we’re protective of our club and city and you want players who want to be there for Newcastle and don’t want to naively think there is anywhere else to go apart from playing for Newcastle. I understand why our fans were frustrated. I’ve been in the game long enough to know what goes on and wish him all the best, apart from when we play Liverpool.”

Burn was not alone in bidding Isak a fond farewell. “He put a message in the chat just saying that he was leaving, and thanks for the memories, all that sort of stuff, and the lads replied,” the England international revealed.

Despite his best efforts at peacemaking, Burn conceded that the rumbling saga was unhelpful. “I think it can be frustrating at times,” he admitted. “Everything was so positive last season, so that took a little bit of a shine off.

“But I’m not silly, I’ve been around football a long time now, and people have short careers, and they want to max out absolutely everything they can, so there’s no hard feelings from me. I think we’ve got two good players in that position now, which will hopefully fill up the goals that we’ve lost.”

Newcastle brought in young German forward Nick Woltemade for a club-record £65 million as well as experienced Premier League operator Yoane Wissa to replace Isak.

“Alex is my mate at the end of the day, so it was a tough situation,” Burn concluded, “but I’m glad that we’re getting a good return on a player and he’s getting the move that he wanted.”

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Tough’—Alexander Isak Sent Message by Ex-Newcastle Teammate After Fractious Exit.