‘Expect it to be three months’ – Liverpool fans handed worrying Isak verdict amid fitness struggles | OneFootball

Liverpool fans have yet to see the best of Alexander Isak since his deadline day transfer to Anfield, and they’ve been warned that it could take some time before the 26-year-old is operating at 100%.

The Swedish striker has been in something of a pre-season mode in his first five weeks with the Reds, having not trained or played with Newcastle over the summer as he sought to force a move to the Premier League champions.

He’s scored just once in 312 minutes of action for his new club so far, although he provided a deft assist for Cody Gakpo’s equaliser in the 2-1 defeat to Chelsea last weekend, and his national team boss Jon Dahl Tomasson is pleased with how his fitness is progressing.

Isak mightn’t be ‘fully fit’ until the winter months

Liverpool-focused reporter Lewis Steele took to his YouTube channel with a comprehensive stock-take on the Reds as the season pauses for the October international break, and he shared insider information that Isak mightn’t be ‘fully fit’ until the winter months.

The journalist said: “The road to full fitness is a little bit longer than expected, and there’s a report from one of the Newcastle guys, saying they expect it to be three months until he’s fully fit, and that is probably about right.

“He’s been at Liverpool now for four or five weeks, so maybe we are now probably another three or four weeks away from seeing Isak at his best.

“There have been glimpses – lovely assist on Saturday and he got his goal against Southampton, to be fair he’s got to score that but he had to be in the right place at the right time – but the road to full fitness does seem a bit bumpier than me or Slot predicted. But, as I said with Salah, if he gets a bit of confidence, it should be all good.”

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Liverpool fans may need to be patient with Isak

The lack of a proper pre-season over the summer has prevented Isak from hitting the ground running at Liverpool, and Arne Slot might actually welcome the striker getting valuable minutes on the pitch for Sweden during the international break this month.

The 26-year-old has yet to play a full match for the Reds, and the head coach is deliberately taking his time with integrating him into the fold. However, he was left on beyond the 70-minute mark in our last two Premier League games, which suggests that he’s getting discernibly closer to rediscovering full fitness.

From Steele’s observations, it mightn’t be until after the November internationals that we see the Swedish marksman at full pelt, but that gives hope to the forward being primed to hit his peak during the unforgiving winter months when the fixture list feels like a relentless slog.

Liverpool fans may need to remain patient with Isak as he continues to build up his game-time, and while a £125m transfer fee may leave some pundits and supporters seeking instant gratification, there are signs that he’s gradually getting into the flow that we crave.

Let’s just hope that the Swede doesn’t encounter any setbacks over the coming weeks as he aims to repay the Reds’ unprecedented investment in him.