Slot explains why Isak won’t play every game after record Liverpool deal | OneFootball

Liverpool’s record signing Alexander Isak is set for a gradual introduction into the team, with Arne Slot making it clear the £125 million forward will not feature for 90 minutes in every game straight away.

The Swedish international joined us from Newcastle United on deadline day, with the Dutch coach calling the completion of the transfer his biggest satisfaction of the summer.

Liverpool boss on record transfer for Alexander Isak

Image via @LFC on X

“A lot of things happened on the last day,” our manager said. “But the thing that pleases me most is getting Alex – the deal for Alex – over the line.

“Richard [Hughes], ownership, everyone involved worked so hard to get that deal done and it’s very good for the club, for our fans, for the players, for me, that all the work they’ve put in resulted in Alex signing for us.”

The 25-year-old striker arrives after scoring 27 goals for Newcastle last season, but Slot admitted his fitness means careful management is needed.

The 46-year-old praised Sweden boss Jon Dahl Tomasson for protecting the player during the international break too.

“He deserves a big, big, big compliment because he gets one of the best, maybe the best, striker in the world in and understands if he would play him twice for 90 minutes the player would probably have been injured for multiple weeks.”

Why Isak won’t play 90 minutes every game immediately

Picture via @LFC on X

Isak missed much of pre-season, and our head coach explained he will be eased in.

“Don’t expect him every single game 90 minutes on the pitch – that’s definitely not going to happen in the upcoming weeks,” he said.

“We’ve signed him not only for the upcoming two weeks, we’ve signed him for six years. This is what we have to keep in mind.”

Isak himself explained that his own fitness wasn’t 100% but his early return to training from the international break shows a personal determination to get up to speed as quickly as possible.

Liverpool have already signed Hugo Ekitike who has made a great start to life as a Red, meaning our new No.9 won’t be overworked as he builds sharpness.

The former Feyenoord boss added that he has not spoken much with Isak yet due to international duty, but insisted his quality is clear. “We faced him a few times and I know what a quality player is,” he said.

With Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz both arriving this summer, we have built one of the most exciting and expensive forward lines in Europe – but Slot is determined to make sure our record striker is ready to perform for the long term.

You can watch Slot’s comments on Isak via Liverpool FC on YouTube:

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