Arne Slot issues Alexander Isak update after Reds’ record signing misses out on starting XI | OneFootball

Alexander Isak is one of two players (along with Andy Robertson) to drop out of the Liverpool starting XI to face Brighton this afternoon.

As Arne Slot explained in his pre-match press conference on Friday morning, the Reds’ record signing picked up a knock in the midweek Champions League win over Inter Milan, and he’s only fit enough to be named on the bench against the Seagulls.

The 26-year-old is joined among the substitutes by Mo Salah, who’s returned to the matchday squad today after his headline-dominating outburst after the draw against Leeds seven days ago, and Federico Chiesa is another attacking option in reserve if needed.

Slot says Isak injury is ‘minor’

Slot spoke to Sky Sports shortly after the starting line-ups were confirmed 75 minutes prior to kick-off, and he was asked about the severity of the injury that Isak sustained at the San Siro.

The Liverpool head coach replied: “Minor. He got a knock in both games and the games come quite fast. There’s also not so much to choose from, so it’s also nice to have someone off the bench who can impact the game. I have a few others who can do that as well.”

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Isak unable to build any proper momentum at Liverpool

When Isak netted his first Premier League goal for the Reds against West Ham a fortnight ago, we were all hoping that it’d prove to be the launch pad for his Anfield career after a stop-start first three months on Merseyside.

Unfortunately, he had minimal impact in his subsequent starts against Sunderland and Inter and only played the final few minutes of the draw at Elland Road last weekend, and an appearance off the bench is the best he can do today.

While a scoring return of just two goals in 754 minutes for Liverpool is paltry for a striker who cost £125m, the Swede hasn’t been helped by niggling issues which have prevented him from gaining any serious momentum since his big-money transfer at the end of the summer.

Even if he doesn’t make it off the bench against Brighton, a more relaxed fixture list after today (just two more matches in December, each seven days apart) gives Isak a greater recovery window and ample opportunity to maximise his fitness prior to next weekend’s visit to Tottenham Hotspur.

Let’s hope that we can soon see the best of a striker who netted 54 goals in the previous three Premier League seasons and has proven that, with better luck on the injury front, he can rip it up in the English top flight.

You can watch Slot’s full pre-Brighton press conference below, via Empire of the Kop on YouTube: