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Alexander Isak has revealed it's unlikely he will be fully up to speed fitness-wise for Liverpool's first game after the international break.
The excitement has certainly been ramped up ahead of the Reds' trip to Burnley on September 14, when Isak could be in line to make his Liverpool debut following his record-breaking deadline-day transfer from Newcastle United.
The Reds parted with £125million ($169M) to secure his services, and, in the long-term, Isak will lead a mouth-watering front four along with Florian Wirtz, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo. But that might not be the seen at Turf Moor, with the Sweden star lacking sharpness given he last played a match in May.
Isak hasn't trained at match pace for months given his Newcastle self-isolation, which resulted in him training away from the rest of Eddie Howe's squad. The 25-year-old will build up his fitness on international duty with Sweden, but has admitted he won't be firing on all cylinders in time for his Liverpool debut.
Asked if he hoped to be available to face Burnley, Isak replied: "Yeah, of course, I think that’s the ambition.
"However, I’ve had a tricky summer where I haven’t played any games and I’ve had restricted training, so I think that’s one to judge and to analyse where I am at and how much I am ready to give. But I certainly want to play as soon as possible."
As Isak himself acknowledged, it has been a "tricky summer" for the attacker. His actions over the transfer window have sparked no shortage of animosity in the north-east, as was underlined by a fan banner displayed outside St. James' Park on deadline day, and Newcastle's blunt 37-word exit statement.
The draining summer clearly has left its mark on Isak. "It’s mixed emotions," he told the club's website during his unveiling interview. "Some relief but a lot of pride, happiness.
"I’m just happy it’s done and that I can get back to work. I’m looking forward to seeing my teammates and the fans, and getting back out there.
"It has been a long summer but I’m just looking forward, not looking at the past. It’s done now and I know I can get back to doing what I love the most. Really looking forward to it."
The motivation behind this summer actions are clear. Isak has swapped Tyneside for Merseyside for one simple reason: the prospect of silverware.
"I want to win everything," he explained. "I feel like this is the next step for me in my career. I’m super-happy that I’ve been given this chance and I’m very motivated to do something well with it."
Pushed on why he was so keen to join Liverpool, Isak added: "I think it’s a mixture of what the club is building, but what they’re building on top of what the club already is.
"The history of the club. Me getting the chance to be a part of this, I want to create history. I want to win trophies. That’s ultimately the biggest motivation for me and I feel like this is the perfect place for me to grow even further and to take my game to the next level and help the team as well."
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