Alexander Isak braced for red-hot reception as Liverpool star returns to Newcastle for the first time | OneFootball

Andoni Iraola has said Liverpool forward Alexander Isak will be full of motivation ahead of his first return to Newcastle United.

Isak will return to St James' Park on Sunday for the first time since leaving Newcastle for Liverpool last summer.

The Swedish striker is expected to receive a red-hot reception from the home crowd, who were unhappy with the forward's push for a move to Anfield last summer.

Isak eventually completed his £125m British record move on deadline day, following a summer in which he refused to rejoin Newcastle for pre-season.

Isak struggled to make an impression during a difficult debut season with the Reds, with a lack of pre-season and serious mid-campaign injury restricting his impact.

Ahead of thePremier League opener against his old side, Liverpool boss Iraola said the 26-year-old will be motivated to make his mark as he looks to ignite his career on Merseyside.

"It's always special when you play against your old team in their stadium. In the same way when I go back to play against Bournemouth, you always want to do well in thePremier League," he said at his pre-match press conference.

"The first game of the season everyone is going to be very motivated and I think it's going to be the same for Alex."

"Alex is going to be a very important player for us this season," Iraola continued.

"Right now, I think he is in a very good place. He has been training every day and adding more and more minutes with each friendly game.

"I think he had a very good World Cup in terms of availability and fitness levels, and I want to keep him there for as long as we can. We know his level and, if we can keep him there, he will score goals and give us a lot.

"Probably, my fight with him is more on what he does without the ball and how he can help us with his positioning when we are in possession, so that he can create space for other players.

"I am not trying to focus too much on goals, but he is a striker and he will want to score. I try not to judge strikers on whether they have scored or not."