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Liverpool striker Alexander Isak needs to work harder and score more goals, Emile Heskey says — with the $169 million (£125 million) summer signing from Newcastle United yet to ignite at Anfield.
Isak could start again today as Liverpool takes on West Ham United in the Premier League but he is yet to net in that competition for the Reds. However, the Swede only has a better scoring and assisting record against Nottingham Forest of the teams he has faced during his career.
To date, the only goal that Isak has scored for Liverpool came in the League Cup in September against Southampton. And in a crucial period of the season, it would be a major boost if he could finally find some form.
"Work harder, that's my advice," Heskey told the Daily Mirror. "Get yourself up to speed. The intensity they play at now, that might have to change.
"He's finding it difficult right now. I didn't feel the pressure but I was playing in a team with two up front, alongside one of the best of his generation in Michael Owen.
"I knew what I was brought in for, to be more creative than full-on scoring. Now it’s different, because it’s one up front, and the main focus is goals."
Last season, Isak was outscored only by Mohamed Salah in the Premier League. However, he missed the whole of the summer forcing an exit from Newcastle and is now well behind the rest of his teammates when it comes to match fitness.
"Fitness-wise he is close to the level he should be and we can judge him in a fair way from now on," Slot said in October, only for Isak to get injured in the game after that, causing another setback in his progression.
"The first five or six weeks, of course we had the player we signed, but he was not completely ready. He was getting fitter but he had to do this in a Premier League game.
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"This is not normal for a player. Ideally you would use him earlier in friendly matches but there is no time in the middle of the season for a friendly so we had to build him up playing Premier League and Champions League games.
"You have to be on top of your game to make a difference at this level.
"You can play at this level if you are 80, 90 or 95 per cent, but to make a difference at the highest level of football you need to be 100 per cent."
Liverpool.com says: Isak, we know, is a very good player. He is already proven in the Premier League, and his only issue is match sharpness. The importance of pre-season is now more obvious than ever, and it might take some time for him to catch up.
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