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Alexander Isak has been told that he must show he's "one of the main men" when Liverpool face Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday.
Liverpool signed Isak on deadline day for a Premier League record $170 million, ending a summer-long transfer saga with Newcastle United. Isak stopped training with Newcastle in an attempt to seal his move to Liverpool, but it meant he wasn't fully fit to start the season.
Isak has been attempting to help his native Sweden qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup during the international break, but Liverpool legend John Aldridge believes he's under pressure to perform on his return to England. Liverpool lost three consecutive games heading into the international break, and Aldridge has urged Isak to "deliver" against United.
Liverpool vs. Manchester United remains one of the fiercest and anticipated rivalries in world soccer, but it's been one-sided in recent history. In the past decade, Liverpool has won seven, United has won three, and there have been nine draws.
While Liverpool will be the favorite heading into Sunday's game, recent losses to Crystal Palace, Galatasaray and Chelsea have raised concerns. A home defeat to United would be the worst loss yet, and Aldridge has called upon Isak to ensure that doesn't happen.
In a column for the Liverpool Echo, Aldridge believes that Isak will be 100 percent when returning from international duty and wants him to justify his transfer fee on Sunday. "OK, the games he has been involved in for Liverpool so far have all had something riding on them because they were not friendly fixtures, but it feels like the international break for Sweden will have helped him get fitter at club level," he wrote.
"But now is the time for him to deliver. No more 'excuses'. No more 'explanations'. It's United up next, and there is no better time or team to show why you are one of the main men now at a club the size of Liverpool."
Isak has one goal across six games for Liverpool in all competitions, but scored 54 in 86 Premier League games for Newcastle. He is seen as one of the best strikers in the world, but hasn't been fully fit while on the field for Liverpool.
While Aldridge has called for Isak to deliver, he also believes that Liverpool head coach Arne Slot must find a way to play him alongside Hugo Ekitike. Liverpool signed Ekitike this summer before acquiring Isak, and the French forward has four goals in nine games for his new club.
At one stage, it looked like Ekitike would enter the season as Liverpool's main striker, but then the Isak deal was finally completed. Although Ekitike is seen as a future star, Aldridge believes he's already proven he should start.
"Having said that, I think Arne Slot has got to find a way to get both Isak and Hugo Ekitike in the side," Aldridge added. "That is something for the Reds boss to wrestle with because Ekitike has started the season superbly, and you need the best-performing players in the team.
"Ekitike is capable of being a 20-goal-a-season man for Liverpool if he features regularly. The way he has played so far has shown how much potential he has at the age of 23, and now he is a fully-fledged France international."
Ekitike received his first international call-up this summer and remained in the squad for the October break. Ekitike assisted Kylian Mbappe during a 3-0 win over Azerbaijan, his first attacking return for France.
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