Alexander Isak nightmare as fitness concerns hit Liverpool as he’s booked and booed for Sweden

Alexander Isak failed to convince watching Liverpool bosses that he is fit enough to make his Reds debut as a starter this weekend after his first outing since his British record £125m move to Anfield saw him suffer jeers and fail to convince while playing for Sweden on Monday.

The striker will hope to be in a position to make his first appearance for the Reds when Premier League football returns this weekend, with Liverpool hoping to maintain their 100% start to the new season when they tackle Burnley at Turf Moor on Sunday (2pm). However, with a pre-season punctuated by transfer speculation and no real opportunity to build up match sharpness, Isak is far from certain to get an opportunity to impress this weekend.

In light of his lack of match sharpness, Sweden manager Jon Dahl Tomasson opted to start Isak on the bench for Monday night’s World Cup qualifier away to Kosovo – a game that witnessed the hosts record a 2-0 win, which has not gone down too well in the Swedish media and having been described as ‘fiasco’ and a ‘painful drag’.

With his side trailing and lacking a spark, Tomasson turned to Isak off the bench with 18 minutes to go, in a match that was his first competitive outing for some 100 days.

All in, it was a night to forget for the Scandinavians. Isak was booed while entering the field, though no specific reason was given in Fotbollskanalen‘s report, though it may have been more to remind him of the hostile atmosphere the visitors faced in Pristina.

The report stated: “After around 72 minutes, Alexander Isak was substituted in, while Anthony Elanga left the field. The forward played his first match since May and was met with boos.”

The new Liverpool man was yellow-carded 10 minutes after entering the field, with Isak being cautioned after a melee resulted in players from both sides pushing each other after Muharrem Jashari was hurt in a duel with Anton Saletros.

The striker did, though, pose more of a threat than his teammates had before him, with the player wasting a good chance to score when he fired straight at Arijanet Muric after being played through on goal.

However, with just 18 minutes of football to his name since last season ended, it remains to be seen what sort of role Isak will play for Liverpool this weekend….

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Liverpool dilemma over Isak – a place on the bench looks likely

Going into the latest international fixtures, Tomasson had vowed to use Isak carefully after careful consultation with Liverpool over how best to manage the 25-year-old’s fitness over the course of the country’s last two qualifiers.

“We will not do any stupid things with him,” the former Blackburn boss told FotbollSkanalen.

“He has not had a pre-season with lots of training and matches. He cannot play 90 minutes. We have a plan. He is smiling and happy to be here.
“We always have very good communication with the clubs. I have spoken to their manager. Our doctor has spoken to their doctor. Our physio Ben (Rosen) has spoken to their physio.

“I am happy that the guy is here. It doesn’t matter where the players play as long as they play and that they are happy… and he is extremely happy.”

However, the plus for Liverpool was that Isak was at least able to avoid any major injury scares.

The player is now due to arrive at Liverpool’s Kirkby training complex on Wednesday, where he will slowly but surely meet his new teammates as they arrive back from international duty themselves.

He will immediately get to work on his sharpness – and will be keen to prove to Slot that he is ready to make his debut at Turf Moor on Sunday.

However, a place on the bench perhaps looks the most likely on Sunday, with Slot loath to change a winning team and keen to ensure Hugo Ekitike’s fine start for the Reds continues. To that end, it remains to be seen if Slot will turn to the player at any stage during the game.

But with three home fixtures to follow for Liverpool, against Atletico Madrid (September 17) in the Champions League, a Merseyside derby against Everton (September 20), and against Southampton (September 23) in the third round of the Carabao Cup, Isak will look to build up his fitness and show Liverpool why they were convinced to fork out big money for his signature.

Liverpool latest: Painful exit a ‘sure thing’; first signing in 2026 named

Meanwhile, Liverpool are steeling themselves for the loss of Ibrahima Konate on a free transfer to Real Madrid next summer, with his exit now described in the Spanish media as a ‘sure thing’, though Richard Hughes does have a plan to mitigate the loss the Reds will suffer.

Elsewhere, Slot has been given increased hope that a move to sign a top-class heir to Mo Salah can be done – and a trusted source on all things Liverpool FC insists he “doesn’t doubt for a second” that the Reds are keen on a deal.

Elsewhere, how Hugo Ekitike feels about Alexander Isak joining Liverpool following his move to Anfield has been revealed.

And finally, Fabrizio Romano has named the first signing that Liverpool want to make in 2026, with the trusted journalist making a rather worrying claim for the Anfield faithful.

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