Slot: Impossible to play £125m star for 90 minutes in upcoming games

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot revealed that forward Alexander Isak will not play for 90 minutes in any upcoming games. The Reds signed Isak for a British-record deal worth £125m on deadline day from Newcastle United after a long saga.

However, the saga involved controversies and misinformation that relentlessly circulated in the media and on social media throughout the summer. One thing remained certain that Isak missed the crucial pre-season game time to gain his fitness level for this season.

Regardless, Isak has a crucial role to play throughout the season that has a lot of fixtures for the club. The new Champions League format has made things more complicated for the clubs, and rotation is essential for every team.

Last season, Liverpool suffered greatly due to a lack of rotation under Slot, as fatigue cost them multiple cup competitions. The Reds had only Hugo Ekitike as their natural striker option until they signed Isak and added much-needed competition.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference (via Liverpoolfc.com), Slot highlighted that Isak will not play a full game for Liverpool for now. He said:

“Don’t expect him [Isak] every single game 90 minutes on the pitch – that’s definitely not going to happen in the upcoming weeks. He missed a proper pre-season, I think he missed three or four months of team sessions, so now we have to build him up gradually with us playing so many games and [having] very little training time. So, that’s going to be a challenge but we’ve signed him not only for the upcoming two weeks, we’ve signed him, I think, for six years so this is what we have to keep in mind and what the fans have to keep in mind if they see that I take him off at a certain moment or I only bring him in for a small amount of minutes. That’s all for the long-term fitness of the player.”

Thankfully, Liverpool have a reliable starter in Ekitike who has enjoyed a good start at the club. The Frenchman is not just strong competition for Isak but also capable of playing alongside the Swede.

Liverpool have a very versatile attacking lineup that will only benefit Slot, who likes to change his tactics according to the opposition. There is a distinct possibility that the Reds will deploy both forwards together in games, if required.

Rest assured, Liverpool fans cannot wait to see Isak in action in whatever capacity after the tumultuous transfer saga. Liverpool have already secured nine points from three matches, and focus will shift towards maintaining the consistency in form.