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Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has called for Arne Slot to pick Alexander Isak over Hugo Ekitike as his first-choice striker once the former Newcastle man is fully fit.
Isak is yet to make his debut for the Reds, having been left out of Sunday’s squad against Burnley, despite training for the first time with his new teammates in the build-up to the game.
Slot explained that the decision was made due to the lack of training and game time Isak has had since May, with Liverpool’s hectic schedule at the forefront of his mind. The 25-year-old was made to train alone as he angled for a move away from Newcastle in the summer, while he only played his first minutes of the season last week, coming off the bench for Sweden against Kosovo.
In Isak’s absence, Ekitike continued up front against Burnley. The Frenchman has enjoyed a fine start since arriving from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer, having scored three goals and added one assist in his five appearances so far for the Reds.
Following Isak’s arrival, though, there has been plenty of talk over how the pair will fit into Slot’s side, and Murphy is in no doubt as to who should be leading the line for Liverpool.
“Well, I think Isak is going to start more of the games as a striker than Ekitike because he is more rounded,” Murphy told the BBC’s Match of the Day.
“I mean, Ekitike’s done great, and he is a younger player who is learning, and he can play different positions. Isak’s bright in terms of his link-up so I think that will help one or two of the others around him as well.
“But it’s just so nice for the manager to have all these options, they are probably going to play over 60 games this season, hopefully.
“But I think when Isak gets fit, it would be naive to think he’s not going to start in that position, and everyone else around him will play off him.”
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Ekitike is likely to get the nod up front again on Wednesday as Liverpool faces Atletico Madrid in its first Champions League game of the season.
Slot, though, has confirmed his plan for Isak to make his debut in that game, with the Reds’ new No. 9 likely to get his first minutes for his new club at Anfield.
"He's in his second or third week of pre-season,” Slot explained.
“We have given him a proper week and then we think maybe he will get more than 10 or 15 minutes in our Wednesday game and that's the way to build him up. He needs proper playing time but also build him up so he has a good base."
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