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Ex-Liverpool left-back Stephen Warnock says Arne Slot must stop picking Alexander Isak until the Swede is able to reach higher levels of physical intensity amid a difficult spell for the striker.
Signed for a fee of around $169 million (£125 million) on transfer deadline day, Isak missed most of the summer with Newcastle trying to force through an exit. As a result, he has lost match fitness and was recently dealt another setback when he was missing with an injury issue.
Slot has explained that the only way for him to improve is to get minutes, but with Liverpool struggling, it can't afford to lose more points while waiting for Isak to catch up with the rest of his teammates.
"I think Alexander Isak needs a period of time out of the Liverpool squad," Warnock told Which Bookie. "He needs to be working away from the team and make sure he does the pre-season fitness work that he missed.
"Whether it’s long runs to work on his cardio or sharp sprints to get him back up to speed, he needs miles in his legs.
"He’s lacking a robustness and strength in his legs that you need to be able to deal with the physicality of the league, sprint fully and compete at any point in the game, even if it’s in the last minute.
"He doesn’t seem like he can sprint properly and break away on the counter-attack or get back to help defensively. However, Liverpool seem to feel that they need him in the matchday squad, which is a tricky situation.
"It probably doesn’t help that some of the other players aren’t performing either. Hugo Ekitike should be the starting striker.
"That said, Slot obviously feels as though he needs options, which is why Isak is in the squad. There appears to be a lack of trust in Federico Chiesa, so he feels he needs Isak on the bench or in the starting XI."
Ekitike won't be able to play every minute of the hectic fixture schedule coming up, but the Frenchman is clearly ahead of Isak at the moment in terms of his level.
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Though he has tailed off a little in recent weeks, Ekitike has started well at Liverpool. He has already scored five goals for the Reds and has settled in best of the summer arrivals.
Ekitike is likely to start midweek when Liverpool takes on PSV in the Champions League. Slot's men will then travel to West Ham United on Sunday in the Premier League.
Liverpool.com says: Isak is a real problem at the moment. His fitness needs to improve, and he needs games to do that, but he is a mile off being ready to make a proper impact right now. It's a real chicken-and-egg scenario with no good answer.
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