Isak is yet to play 90 minutes for Liverpool since his record-breaking transfer day, with the striker yet to put his compromised summer behind him.
A groin injury has only further delayed his integration into the team, and Slot has accepted that Isak should be given minutes ahead of a teammate who is “ahead of him in match fitness.”
“Alex, it will take a while, but he will eventually become the player he was at Newcastle if we get him fit, or what he was like at Sociedad or all the other clubs he was at,” Slot told reporters. Echo.
• READ: Team news from Liverpool FC vs. Forest – who goes in and out
“He just has to get fit. That is the challenge and it is hugely underestimated if you bring in a player on September 1, when the competition has already been going on for three weeks.”
“I do know that a 100 percent fit Alexander Isak is a big, big plus for this team. But to get there, he might need minutes where you could argue that another player might be further ahead of him in terms of match fitness.”
“This morning I had a conversation with the performance staff: ‘What is the best way for him – and not for Liverpool – to get him to that 100% as quickly as possible?’
“I always have to find the balance between what is best for him as an individual and for us as a team.”
Hugo Ekitike has started 11 of Liverpool’s 17 games so far and Slot’s comments suggest it could be the Frenchman who is compromised unless he opts to play alongside Cody Gakpo.
Why it takes so long for Isak to get fit again
With no friendlies to get Isak back to full fitness, Slot underlined the challenge Liverpool are navigating to do what is best for their number 9 and results.
“He has done one sprint above 30 km/h in four months. He has not done many high-intensity runs,” Slot revealed.
“So we had to build it up, which is normal when you train alone. You can’t compare this with a team session.
“If you get an injury you’ll be thrown back again. So give him time. The problem is that I’m playing against a player – and I’ve done it with others too – who is not 100 percent of his usual match fitness.”
“But then I cannot play friendly matches. You can do that in the preparation, because you are not interested in the results.”
“But Alex and Mac Allister are the best examples of that. Conor Bradley got injured in pre-season. Ah, I could go on.”
“That’s the challenge with him. I see in training that when he is fully rested, you can see his quality. We play in short spaces, so the ball comes to him a lot.”
“But 11 versus 11 on a big field, there’s a lot of running and not much touching of the ball. He’s an incredible player.”
#Conclusion #Isak #start #talking #Liverpools #fitter #teammates