1 hour ago
38
Alexander Isak might have experienced a sense of déjà vu on Saturday, long after the 60,000 fans had left Anfield following the Merseyside derby.
In his final weeks at Newcastle United, due to the bitter nature of his departure, he was often training alone at the Magpies' Benton base, hours after his teammates had left. After playing about 25 minutes in the 2-1 victory over Everton on Saturday lunchtime for his new club, Isak found himself once again training solo, running from the goal line to the halfway point inside an empty Anfield while Liverpool staff observed.
However, this time, the solitary warm-down routine was not a punishment but part of a broader plan to get him up to speed as quickly as possible for an unbeaten Liverpool and put up a challenge for Hugo Ekitike's role as starting striker.
As Isak ran drills up and down the Kop end, supervised by fitness coach Dr Conall Murtagh, he would have been reassured knowing that all this effort was aimed at getting him back to the peak performance levels that made him the most expensive transfer in British football history earlier this month, reports the Liverpool Echo.
The past week has been a promising one for the £125m man, who celebrated his 26th birthday on Sunday.
He made his debut for the Reds in a 60-minute appearance against Atletico Madrid, marking his most significant game time since May, and followed this up with another stint off the bench as Arne Slot's side triumphed over the Blues in the 247th derby.
Isak has now clocked up around 100 minutes of play for both club and country since the end of last season, and he could see more action in the Carabao Cup when Liverpool kick off their campaign at home to Southampton on Tuesday night.
With Jayden Danns having trained alongside his more experienced teammates on Sunday, Isak might be called upon for another substitute appearance, but it's almost certain he'll feature in some capacity in a match that many of his high-profile colleagues will likely sit out.
This is a timely opportunity for the club-record signing to regain his sharpness. The staggering £125m fee naturally invites increased scrutiny and attention, meaning there's little external patience for Isak to return to full fitness before he starts justifying the price tag.
Hugo Ekitike, who himself joined from Eintracht Frankfurt in a deal potentially worth £79m in July, believes players shouldn't worry about their transfer fees. He's excited to work alongside Isak at Anfield in the coming years.
"Alex will help the team and help me reach new heights," Ekitike says. "But [deciding who plays] will mostly be the coach's issue. If I perform, I think he'd put me on the pitch. He can even try to put us both on the pitch. I think it's just good.
"I don't care [about the price tag]. Everything that can be said on the outside, the transfer fee, it is what it is. Football changed. You have a big price tag on your back? Just play football."
Isak is set to be involved on Tuesday night as the Reds host Southampton in the Carabao Cup. Head coach Arne Slot has openly confirmed he's planning to rotate his team heavily from Saturday's game.
Fringe players like Federico Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha are set for significant minutes, while Isak will likely receive just his second start since his record-breaking move.
English (US) ·