Gary Lineker makes Real Madrid comparison after assessing Liverpool Arne Slot striker debate
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Gary Lineker has compared Liverpool's centre-forward dilemma to the Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe predicament at Real Madrid last season.
Liverpool signed Hugo Ekitike, 23, for £79million from Eintracht Frankfurt in July before smashing the Premier League transfer record for the second time - after bringing in Florian Wirtz for £116m from Bayer Leverkusen - as Isak moved from Newcastle United for £125m on deadline day.
Isak was thrown straight into the XI for his debut against Atletico Madrid last Wednesday before Ekitike returned to the starting line-up for Saturday's 2-1 win over Everton.
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Ekitike ended up scoring his third goal in six appearances for the Reds, sliding the ball beyond Jordan Pickford to give his side a two-nil cushion after Ryan Gravenberch had put them in front.
It was a fine finish from the Frenchman, who produced an excellent all-round performance and caused the Everton back-line all sorts of problems during his time on the pitch.
However, there is going to be a time where Arne Slot considers playing Ekitike and Isak together in the same team, having spent in excess of £200m to sign both of them in the summer.
Indeed, Lineker has compared Liverpool's striker debate to that of Real Madrid, who had the dilemma of Vinicius and Mbappe both wanting to be used on the left-hand side last season.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football, Lineker said: "I wonder what Isak's thinking, sitting on the bench.
He'll want to play that role.
Ekitike could play on the left, and Isak, we know, can play on the left, and I think they might do that.
"But then, they might have that slight situation of Real Madrid, where they had Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe both wanting to play on the left, but in the end Mbappe was the one who converted to a nine.
I’m not saying they're that level, but they could be."
Alan Shearer then weighed in on the debate and pointed out that Wirtz was among the others to be left out of the XI to face Everton, despite the money the Reds spent on him in the summer.
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"You've got Wirtz in there as well," Shearer added.
I think it was the right choice that he [Slot] went back to his tried and tested three in the Merseyside Derby, because you know what it’s like.
"It was always going to be 100 miles per hour.
He went back to what worked so well for them with that three in midfield, and left Wirtz out.