Alexander Isak plays first minutes of season following Liverpool transfer saga | OneFootball

Alexander Isak played his first minutes of the season following his drawn-out transfer saga that dominated the summer.

Isak, who went on strike at Newcastle in order to force his £125m deadline day move to Liverpool, came off the bench for Sweden in the 72nd minute of Monday’s World Cup qualifier against Kosovo.

The 25-year-old sharpshooter couldn’t salvage a result for his nation, however, with Sweden suffering a shock 2-0 defeat thanks to first-half goals from Elvis Rexhbecaj and Vedat Muriqi.

Isak said he was nevertheless happy to be back on the pitch, having not played any minutes since the end of last season.

"It's great that everything was settled before the camp and that I could focus on playing football again," Isak said.

"It's been a fairly new situation for me, but you always learn and develop mentally off the pitch as well."

Isak enjoyed a stunning 2024/25 campaign at St James’s Park, ending the season as their top scorer with 23 Premier League goals, while also guiding the Magpies to a first trophy in 70 years as he scored in their 2-1 Carabao Cup final win over Liverpool.

However, the Swede made it clear he wanted to leave Newcastle at the start of the window and played no part in the club's pre-season or opening league games, accusing the club of breaking promises and misleading supporters.

"Obviously, not everyone has the full picture, but that's something for another day," Isak added.

"I can't control everything that's said or written. But I'm happy that I became a Liverpool player."