“I’ve spoken to him” – Van Dijk outlines ‘conversations’ he’s had with ‘complete striker’ Isak | OneFootball

Virgil van Dijk has praised Alexander Isak as a ‘complete striker’ and revealed that he’s already had conversations with his new Liverpool teammate.

The 25-year-old joined from Newcastle on transfer deadline day for a British record fee of £125m, although a combination of the international break and a lack of match fitness means that he’s yet to make his Reds debut.

Sky Sports’ Vinny O’Connor has hinted that the Swedish marksman could feature for his new club for the first time against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night, and Arne Slot told reporters today (via Liverpool Echo) that there’s ‘definitely a chance’ of our number 9 playing tomorrow.

Van Dijk praises ‘complete striker’ Isak

Van Dijk also addressed the media ahead of the Champions League opener, and he was inevitably asked about Isak, revealing that he’s chatted with the new signing since the record-breaking transfer a fortnight ago.

The Reds captain said of the Swede (via Liverpool FC on YouTube): “He’s very eager and the quality has been shown already. Off the pitch, we’ve had conversations. I’ve spoken to him in the international break when everything was sorted.

“Its about getting as fit as possible as quick as possible and understanding how we train, how we press, set-pieces. It’s been a good week for him, so let’s see about tomorrow.”

(Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)

Van Dijk added: “We have no control over the price tag. There will always be talks about that, and that creates pressure, but it’s down to him and us that we don’t speak about it.

“He is a clinical finisher – heading, left foot, right foot, top corners. He is the complete striker at the moment. You can say the same for Hugo [Ekitike].”

Isak’s Liverpool debut will be eagerly anticipated!

Isak has had to be patient in waiting for his Liverpool debut, with Slot eager not to rush the striker back into action prematurely after he didn’t partake in Newcastle’s pre-season or August league games.

However, it now seems likely that we will get a first glimpse of him on the pitch for the Reds tomorrow night, even if it’d probably come as a substitute rather than a starter, given that he’s only played 18 minutes of competitive football since the end of May.

Only Mo Salah scored more than him in the Premier League last term, and the 25-year-old racked up 62 goals in 109 games for the Magpies, hence why LFC had to smash the British transfer record to eventually prise him away from St James’ Park.

Obviously Isak will need time to grow accustomed to the intricacies of leading the line for Liverpool and forging relationships with his new attacking teammates, but if he can manage that sooner rather than later, we could have a genuine game-changer on our hands at centre-forward.

Few players’ debuts for the Reds have been as eagerly anticipated as his one. Let’s hope that we’re not waiting much longer for that moment, one which might just be the first step towards an illustrious Anfield career comparable with the legendary forwards that we’ve had in L4 throughout the decades.