Alexander Isak decision expected as Arne Slot sends request for Liverpool star's return

Liverpool's record signing Alexander Isak has been out since December with a leg break, but Arne Slot has warned expectations must be tempered before he makes his return

Alexander Isak is expected to return from injury for Liverpool before the end of the season(Image: Getty Images)

To say that this wasn't what Alexander Isak had in mind when he finalized his £125 million ($165M) transfer to Liverpool would be the season's biggest understatement.

In a campaign often marred by misfortune at Anfield, few have experienced tougher times than the most expensive footballer in British football history.

Having pushed to an extent rarely seen in today's game to secure his dream move from Newcastle United to the Premier League champions, there was an understanding within his new club that Isak would need time to return to the kind of form expected of a striker who was only outscored by Mohamed Salah in the previous season, having not played for his old club all summer.

The Swedish international made a name for himself as one of the top strikers in the English game during his stint on Tyneside, netting 54 goals in his three seasons, 44 of which were scored in the last two. A bespoke training plan was devised in an attempt to get him as close to 100 percent fitness as possible, given that he hadn't had a pre-season before his arrival in Merseyside on September 1.

However, an immediate international break complicated matters for the Reds, with their new No. 9 subsequently being placed under the care of the Swedish national team.

The club stayed in close contact with Sweden physio Ben Rosen, but a groin injury the following month in the 5-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt further hampered progress. This was followed by what has perhaps become a pivotal moment in both his and Liverpool's season; the leg break he suffered at Tottenham.

Isak hasn't featured since and isn't anticipated to return for the Reds until early next month, with Arne Slot acknowledging on Friday that expectations surrounding the forward's immediate return to the form that justified his enormous price tag should be managed carefully.

"If you ask me now I would say I don't expect [Isak to go on duty with Sweden]," Slot said [via the Liverpool Echo ]. "But we are still one and a half weeks off, there is always co-operation between club and country but I don't expect him to play for us before that.

"Again, I have to mess up the party again. Let's say (he comes back) at the beginning of April, he has been out for three and a half months and not trained with the team for three and a half months. The last time he did that, it took him a while to get up to speed.

"I am really, really looking forward to having him back but don't get the expectations again so high that the minute he is on the pitch, he is at the level of what we spent that money on."

The absence of such a talented striker has compounded the challenges facing a head coach like Slot already under scrutiny, creating an excessive dependence on Hugo Ekitike, the squad's sole recognized, senior center-forward.

Liverpool has had to rely solely on Hugo Ekitike in Alexander Isak's absence(Image: Ahmad Mora/Getty Images)

Liverpool has been developing the French international's conditioning and his capacity to maintain peak performance throughout 90 minutes in a league as gruelling and physically taxing as the Premier League, but the absence of a credible alternative has damaged results.

Slot says: "I don't think it's been helpful for the team that many times we have felt we are there, another player got injured, another player got injured. We constantly felt we had to do it with 12-13 players.

"It is always a boost for a team to have everyone available. Look at the recent PSG game (against Chelsea), when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia came in 30 or so minutes from the end and scored twice.

Arne Slot is hoping to have Alexander Isak back soon(Image: (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images))

"I think Pep Guardiola said as well, how important it is to have your players available because this is such a hard league, we don't have a winter break and there are so many games.

"I don't think there are many clubs in the history of this league who have had a lot of injuries and performed as expected. That is harder in this league than any other league in the world, as you have so many games at a high level. All the examples are there, Manchester City last season."

The end may be in sight for Isak's recovery, but the Reds will probably only truly have their record signing back at full capacity when the next campaign begins.

Liverpool were forced to be patient for Alexander Isak. In numerous respects, that patience continues.