‘Alex is far from ready’ – Arne Slot Confirms Isak Liverpool Debut Plan | OneFootball

Isak’s Liverpool Debut Carefully Managed by Arne Slot

Liverpool’s £125 million acquisition of Alexander Isak has naturally drawn attention, but head coach Arne Slot is clear: the striker’s full integration will take patience rather than urgency. After missing pre-season due to his dispute with Newcastle and managing only 18 minutes with Sweden during the international break, Isak is still some way from being fully ready.

Slot offered insight into his approach, stressing conditioning over short-term appearances. “If you start a season when the players have been off for five weeks, you give them a certain base before they are able to play 45 minutes,” he explained. “We got him from Newcastle in a state where you could see his pre-season was going to start now, then he needs proper minutes of training before he has a certain base, let alone for him to play twice in three days.”

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Gradual Steps into Liverpool’s Season

Isak was absent from Liverpool’s last-gasp 1-0 victory at Burnley, where Mohamed Salah’s stoppage-time penalty ensured a fourth successive win and preserved a perfect start to the Premier League campaign. Instead of featuring, the Swedish forward worked through a tailored training programme and recovery schedule.

Slot made it clear that building rhythm takes more than cameos. “Alex is far from ready for that schedule of three games in a week but we could use him today for five minutes and Wednesday 10 and then 15, but we don’t believe that is the way to build him up. In Sweden they did the right thing by giving him good sessions without playing him a lot and we did the same so now he will be able to play 45 on Wednesday as a minimum or a little bit more.”

Atletico Madrid Test Arrives at the Right Time

Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid at Anfield could provide the platform for Isak’s first significant minutes in a Liverpool shirt. Yet Slot tempered expectations, adding: “But if he plays 45 on Wednesday, don’t expect him to play 45 or more on Saturday [against Everton] as his body is not prepared for that.”

For Liverpool, the timing matters. A measured introduction into European competition, before the ferocity of the Merseyside derby, might be the perfect way to acclimatise their record signing.