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Arne Slot admitted that some of Liverpool's attacking players may have to miss out in order for Alexander Isak to get himself up to speed – even if they are currently in better shape than the Premier League's record signing.
Isak joined Liverpool on deadline day in September but has struggled for form and fitness since moving to Anfield, after missing out on the entirety of pre-season.
The Swede's determination to force through a move to Liverpool saw him go on strike at previous club Newcastle – and while that decision ultimately brough about the desired outcome, his form has suffered as a result.
Isak has missed Liverpool's last five games. but could return against Nottingham Forest this weekend.
Outlining the selection dilemma he has with Isak, Slot said: "We can improve as a team and we will improve definitely as individuals because players will be adapted to the league much better. With Alex, it will still take a bit of time but he will end up being the player he was at Newcastle if we get him fit.
"I do know that 100 percent fit Alexander Isak is a big, big, big plus for this team. But for him to get there, he might need to have minutes where you could argue that another player might be further ahead of him in terms of match fitness."
Pressed on why he is so sure that Isak will rediscover the form that he displayed for Newcastle, Slot said: "Or how he was at Sociedad or all the other clubs he was at – he just needs to become fit. That is the challenge.
"It is underestimated, so much, that if you bring a player in on September 1, when the league is already three weeks in. He didn't do a lot of high intensity runs. So we had to build him up, which is normal, if you have been training on your own. You cannot compare this to a team session.
"If you then get an injury, you are thrown back again. So give him time. The problem is, I play a player – and I have done this with others – who is not 100 per cent of their usual match fitness. But then I cannot play friendlies. You can do that in pre-season because you don't care about the results.
"But Alex and (Alexis) Mac Allister are the best examples of that. Conor Bradley got injured in pre-season. Ah, I could go on and on. That is the challenge with him. I can see in training sessions, if he is fully rested, then you can see his quality. He is an incredible player."
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