Liverpool boss Arne Slot has confirmed Alexander Isak is available to make his debut in the Reds’ Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday – but the striker will not play the full game.
Isak is yet to make an appearance for Liverpool since joining on Deadline Day in a £125m British-record deal.
The Sweden international was left out of Sunday’s win at Burnley, but he could make his long-awaited debut at Anfield either from the start or off the bench.
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Asked about Isak’s chance of playing against Atletico, Slot said: “There is definitely a chance because he is in the squad.
“Then there’s a chance to play, but I can say it’s 100 per cent sure that he will not play 90 minutes. But he’s part of the squad.
“It’s already a Champions League game to look forward to, but if people look forward to his playing time, that could mean that could happen as well.”
Questioned on whether Isak will start, Slot replied: “The only thing that is sure is that he will not play 90 and all the rest you will see.”
Slot: Isak’s biggest challenge is getting fit
Isak missed pre-season and game time due to his dispute with Newcastle before sealing his move to Liverpool, and he has only played 18 minutes of football this season for Sweden.
Asked what Isak’s biggest challenge is, Slot responded: “Getting fit after missing out on four months of proper team sessions.
“He doesn’t have to prove to anyone that he’s good enough to play in the Premier League because that’s what he’s proven already at Newcastle.
“The main challenge he has is to become so fit that he is first of all ready to do what he did last season.”
He added: “The moment he’s fit, match fit, and he can play 90, then the next step is playing three times in a week, then the next step is going one step further in terms of pressing. Then scoring goals and doing special things in attack, that is something he will 100 per cent sure do.”
Van Dijk: Isak the complete striker
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk believes Isak, who scored 54 times in 86 Premier League appearances for Newcastle, is the “complete striker”.
“He’s a clinical finisher,” he said. “You look at his finishing skills – heading, left, right, top corners – he is the complete striker at the moment.
“You can say the same for Hugo [Ekitike]. They are maybe a little bit different, but not as much.
“They both have so much quality. They are very comfortable on the ball so they can link up play. They have pace, and that’s what is being asked of the modern-day striker.
“Both are a handful, and that’s good that they are on my side now. So hopefully, they can show that to the opponent in the next year.”
‘Isak’s price tag creates pressure’
Van Dijk, however, is aware that the British-record £125m fee paid for Isak will “create pressure” for the 25-year-old.
The Dutchman said: “It’s not really an addition is it? It’s a replacement because players with a lot of quality left us, so we had to replace these players who were so important for us and we had success with.
“It comes with the price tag, and the price tag we have no control over. I totally understand from the outside world that there’ll always be talk about that, and that creates a sort of pressure. But it’s down to him and with us that we don’t speak about those type of things.
“Hopefully for him, he can score a lot of goals. Just work hard, enjoy being the number nine for Liverpool, be important for the group with goals, assists, link-up play, help others and that’s the only thing you have influence on.”
Van Dijk also echoed his head coach’s calls for Isak to get match fit.
Asked about his first impressions of Isak, he replied: “Very good. Very eager. The quality he’s been showing already since the first session – I was still on international [duty] – from what I’ve heard and seen, so only positive.
“Off the pitch as well, we have conversations. I spoke to him during the international break when everything was sorted.
“For him, it’s about getting as fit as possible as quickly as possible, getting to understand each one of us as quickly as possible, how we train, how we press, set-pieces.
“It’s been a good week for him – let’s see.”
Slot defends Liverpool’s summer spending spree
Meanwhile, Slot launched an impassioned defence of the club’s unprecedented summer transfer activity after taking a swipe at criticism from “pundits that favour other clubs”.
Isak’s British-record move took their spending to £446.5m, but Slot was keen to point out it was not reckless spending as they recouped over £228m in sales, having spent just £10m the previous summer.
“There is so much focus on our new signings, especially from pundits that favour some other clubs in the country that cannot stop talking about £450m. I repeat, £450m, £450m! But they forget about [nearly] £300m that we have sold for,” said Slot.
“So, yes, if we want to strengthen the squad we need to spend that much money. If we sell Dominik Szoboszlai tomorrow, he would be worth £100m as well.
“I think it is only a compliment that people tell everyone we have spent so much because that tells you the players we brought in are seen as very good players.
“I think we did great business; we brought in great players and to add to that, we have already lowered the age of the players.
“Some other teams prefer to bring in 27-year-olds because they are ready but we think we have brought in players who are 21, 22 who are ready.
“And then if they are still with you in four or five years, we can sell [someone like] Luis Diaz for £65m. But it is harder to sell him for £65m if he is already 32.
“That is our model and I think we should get praise. I think all the money we have spent we generated ourselves by selling and by winning the league after we didn’t buy anyone at all.
“If you win the league that is quite good financially as well. Those two situations led to the fact that we could spend £450m. It’s not like we looked in the ground and saw there was money coming up.
“We have generated ourselves and that is a big compliment for the model we have and for the quality players we have brought in that everybody is only talking about the £450m.”
