Papiss Cisse is being forced to train on his own after Newcastle got tough over his Wonga shirt sponsorship row.
Senegalese striker Cisse reported yesterday to train with his team-mates – but was sent to the gym to train on his own because of the dispute.
Cisse, a Muslim, has objected on religious grounds to wearing the logo of the pay day loans company on both training and playing strips.
The striker has offered to wear a charity-branded shirt rather than the logo of the club’s new sponsors.
Upon his return from international duties on Friday, Newcastle told Cisse to stay away from training until the matter was resolved. He turned up yesterday and it was then matters came to a head.
Pardew’s squad, including Hatem Ben Arfa, who is also a Muslim, have been training in Wonga-branded kit for the last week.
The stand-off could alert other Premier League clubs and there has also been interest in Cisse from Germany and Russia.