Liverpool head coach Arne Slot insists British record signing Alexander Isak’s season starts now as he believes the striker has finally reached a level where he will be fully effective.
The £125million transfer has played just 313 minutes over six appearances, scoring just once in a Carabao Cup win over Southampton, since his move from Newcastle on deadline day as the club sought to ease him into life at Anfield after he missed the whole of pre-season.
Isak has played an additional minutes 198 minutes for Sweden, although in two full World Cup qualifiers over the international break he failed to find the net against Kosovo or Switzerland.
However, ahead of the visit of arch-rivals Manchester United, Slot said the 26-year-old was now ready to go.
“I think now he has had his five, six weeks of pre-season which is normal for every player, especially if you have been out for three or four months,” said the Dutchman.
“Fitness-wise he is close to the level he should be and we can judge him in a fair way from now on.
“I know how this industry works, if he plays there (Sweden) twice and doesn’t score that’s not what you’re hoping for, of course.
“You are hoping if they go to the national team they score goals like Cody (Gakpo) did, like Virgil (van Dijk) did, like Dominik (Szoboszlai) did, like (Alexis) Mac Allister did but he didn’t.
“His pre-season has maybe finished now, he has played a few games 70, 80, 90 minutes so let’s see where he is in the upcoming weeks.”
Isak is not the only player who has struggled over the early part of the season.
Even before they lost three games in a week, a number of Slot’s squad had been under-performing, including the likes of midfielder Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah.
The former is
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