“That’s my advice” – Emile Heskey tells Alexander Isak what he must do to succeed at Liverpool | OneFootball

Almost three months on from his British record £125m transfer to Liverpool, Alexander Isak is still in search of his first Premier League goal for the Reds.

The Swedish striker dominated headlines over the summer as he effectively went on strike to force a move from Newcastle, eventually getting his wish on deadline day, but he hasn’t been able to make an immediate impact at Anfield.

He arrived on Merseyside lacking match fitness after sacrificing pre-season, while a groin injury sidelined him for a few matches prior to the November international window, during which he made a tentative return to action.

Heskey has words of advice for Isak

A quarter of a century before Isak joined Liverpool, Emile Heskey became the Reds’ then-record signing for £11m, and he’s now dispensed some advice to our current number 9 as the latter seeks to justify his price tag.

Regarding the 26-year-old, the former LFC and England stiker told The Mirror: “Work harder, that’s my advice. Get yourself up to speed. The intensity they play at now, that might have to change.

“He’s finding it difficult right now. I didn’t feel the pressure. I was playing in a team with two up front, alongside one of the best of his generation in Michael Owen.

“I knew what I was brought in for, to be more creative than full on scoring. Now it’s different, because it’s one up front, and the main focus is goals.”

(Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

Isak has yet to take flight at Liverpool

Heskey makes a valid point in terms of how, broadly speaking across English football, playing as a centre-forward has changed from being part of a partnership in the early 2000s to operating as a lone striker in the current era.

That said, the hard work of which Liverpool’s former no.8 speaks should be the bare minimum of any player representing the club, and it certainly ought to be a given for a forward of Isak’s undoubted ability.

The Swede has had a slow start to life at Anfield, with only one goal in his first 10 games for the Reds, and his performance in the 0-3 defeat to Nottingham Forest last weekend was derided by Sky Sports reporter Laura Hunter as ‘completely anonymous‘.

Isak also failed to make much impact off the bench in the midweek humbling by PSV Eindhoven, and in 97 minutes on the pitch across those two games, he touched the ball only 23 times and managed a mere one shot on target (FBref).

The very least to be expected of any Liverpool player is to give everything for the shirt, and that’s what we need to see from the £125m man, who hasn’t been helped by his fitness problems but needs to start impacting games soon.

He’s too good a player to simply crash and burn at Anfield – hopefully it won’t be long before we see the same Isak who scored freely throughout his three years at Newcastle.

You can watch Slot’s full post-PSV press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube: