Arne Slot's Alexander Isak WARNING needs to be heard | OneFootball

Arne Slot has put out an Alexander Isak warning as we wait on his Liverpool debut. But it's one that must be heard.

Alexander Isak is now a Liverpool player. It was quite the saga to get him to Anfield - one that literally took the entirety of the transfer window.

The Reds actually had Isak pencilled in as their top target back at the start of 2025. He was the one they viewed as the ultimate signing and the one they dreamed of adding.

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It just wasn’t really known if it was possible. Newcastle United held strong to their stance that he wasn’t for sale - though, that was exacerbated by a shocking inability to sign a replacement striker.

Eventually, everything was agreed and Isak joined Liverpool for a British record fee. Now we’re left waiting to actually see him play for the Reds.

But on that, Arne Slot has a warning.

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Arne Slot's Alexander Isak warning

“In Sweden [with the national team], they did the right thing of giving him good sessions without playing him a lot. But if you play the player, you cannot give him good sessions,” said Slot, per The Times.

“We did the same and now he will be able — either Wednesday or Saturday — to play 45 as a minimum, maybe a bit more.

“But if he plays 45 on Wednesday, don’t expect to play 45 or more on Saturday because his body is not prepared for that, in our opinion.”

In other words, this is going to be a drawn-out process and one that might take some time. Isak will eventually be ready to compete properly for Liverpool but that certainly won't be this week.

We're crossing our fingers, then, that Isak will debut against Atlético Madrid with a fair number of minutes. But the other side of this warning is that fans shouldn't expect him to deliver all that much.

Liverpool won't actually get the player they've paid for until Isak is fully up to speed. That doesn't just mean fitness, either - he's got to gel with this group.

No one should expect miracles, then. There can't be too much judgement of Isak over his first number of games and patience is absolutely necessary.