Alexander Isak torn apart after 'awful' and 'non-existent' Liverpool performances

Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock has torn into Alexander Isak after watching the Swedish striker's recent displays against Fulham and Paris Saint-Germain

Alexander Isak's performances against Fulham and PSG have been blasted as 'non-existent'(Image: Getty Images)

Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock has blasted Alexander Isak for his performances against Fulham and Paris Saint-Germain.

The 26-year-old was surprisingly named in Liverpool's starting lineup for their Champions League quarter-final second leg clash with PSG, with Arne Slot bizarrely admitting Isak, who has only just returned to action for the Reds after suffering a broken leg in December, would only be able to last around 45 minutes.

During the game against the defending European champions, Isak looked ineffective. He was taken off at half-time and replaced by Cody Gakpo. Meanwhile, Liverpool's other forward, Hugo Ekitike, appears to have sustained a serious non-contact Achilles injury, leading to him being stretchered off during the 2-0 defeat to PSG.

Isak's appearance against PSG was just his second since breaking his leg, with him having played 21 minutes in the Reds' 2-0 win over Fulham in their last Premier League outing.

The Swedish forward, who joined Liverpool for a British record transfer fee of £125million ($169M) from Newcastle, has endured a torrid debut season at Anfield, which has seen him find the back of the net just three times in 19 appearances.

While his performances for Liverpool have been poor, there are mitigating factors. He arrived on Merseyside having had no preseason, which meant he was way off the pace required to hit the ground running for Liverpool.

Alexander Isak's debut season on Merseyside has not gone to plan (Image: Getty Images)

And while it was unlikely he would look like the 27-goal striker he was for Newcastle last season against Fulham and PSG, former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock has branded his performances against the two as "non-existent."

"I don't know what to say about Alexander Isak. I watched him here against Fulham and he was awful," said Warnock, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live.

"He was non-existent here tonight. He didn't want to get any physical contact alongside Marquinhos. He was sort of wanting to bump into him. There was no wanting to build a platform for his team to get onto the ball."

Alexander Isak couldn't make an impact for Liverpool.(Image: Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)

Warnock added: "Cody Gakpo did more in five minutes than Isak did in the whole first half. He is not fit. He is nowhere near fit.

"That's partly due to the injury he sustained against Tottenham, but sitting out pre-season, he has not got one ounce of fitness in him this season, and it tells.

"And you think you can put him against PSG, in your biggest game of the season against the best team in Europe, and think you get a performance in 45 minutes. You can't just switch it on and off."

As a result of Ekitike's injury, Isak will now have a run of games where he can look to get himself up to speed for the Reds heading into the summer, where he will be in action for Sweden at the World Cup.