Liverpool: Arne Slot issues verdict on Alexander Isak debut as Atletico Madrid beaten | OneFootball

Record signing was omitted from last matchday squad

Arne Slot admitted that Alexander Isak was “fitter than expected” as the Swedish international made his much-anticipated Liverpool debut in the Reds’ 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid.

The Premier League champions left it late at Anfield to snatch all three points, with Virgil van Dijk’s header earning them victory in dramatic fashion at the death.

Isak played 57 minutes in front of his new supporters, starting the game before being replaced by fellow fresh face Hugo Ekitike.

The former Newcastle striker had two attempts at goal, stinging the palms of Jan Oblak in the visiting goal with his first, but he could not notch a debut strike.

Slot, as he so often is, was conservative with his verdict on his £125million man, but did say that Isak was “a joy to watch”.

“It wasn’t as if after 10 minutes he was already tired. He could just play at this level quite well after only one or two weeks of team sessions. That was the most important thing. We know that he can play football and that he is a joy to watch. That is no surprise.

“He was fitter than I expected, but fans must not get their hopes up too high. It’s good that he got his first minutes, but we play three times a week and that’s a bit too much for him still.”

When asked if Isak could start against Everton in this weekend’s Merseyside derby, Slot said that he “could”.

He continued: “It won’t be 90 minutes for him. People ask why that isn’t possible.

“The problem is you need to make sure that players are prepared for the programme and you need to train with them. That is not possible, but we are really happy that he could start today.

“That’s why he didn’t play against Burnley. He was good today. We have two great No9s, and we are going to use both of them.”

Andy Robertson, starting his first game of the campaign at left-back ahead of Milos Kerkez, was quick to laud Isak’s performance.

“I thought he was excellent,” the Scot told TNT Sports.

“Not had a pre-season or a lot of games. Especially in the first half, he was excellent, naturally, he got tired.

“It’s great to have a player like Hugo to come on and both of them have got such quality. We’ve got a lot of new players that have to settle in.

“Playing at a big club like this is not easy, and they’ve both done well. They are the future, they are the ones that are going to take this club forward. They’ve shown glimpses so far, and I’m sure that they’ll only get better.”