What you aren’t seeing in Alexander Isak’s quest to get back to his best

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Perhaps worryingly, he has said it could take six months to see him at his best. Almost three have elapsed, interrupted by injury, and Isak still has a lone goal, against Southampton in the Carabao Cup.His manager remains adamant that the wider world will see the Isak that prompted them to pay £125m; so far, he said, only Liverpool have seen that, in sessions where the Swede’s technique is an asset and his lack of sharpness no disadvantage.“It will still take a bit of time but he will end up being the player he was at Newcastle if we get him fit,” Slot said.

It is underestimated so much that if you bring a player in on 1 September, the league [is] already three weeks in.” Or, indeed, if you bring in a player who missed pre-season because he went on strike, though Slot did not mention that part.Liverpool have seen the best of Isak – just not in their own colours (PA Wire)Isak could make his first appearance at club level for a month when Nottingham Forest visit Anfield on Saturday, but there is a warning to be patient. Slot insisted Isak was not in the red zone when he was injured against Eintracht Frankfurt; however, if his selection there was an attempt to fast-track his comeback, it backfired.He was limited to 28 minutes of football in the last international break.

If he does some running, you can give him a bigger tank.“This morning, I had a conversation with the performance staff: ‘What is the best way for him – not for Liverpool – to get him as fast as we can to that 100 per cent?’ I always have to find the balance between what is the best for him as an individual and for us as a team. But for him to get there, he might need to have minutes where you could argue that another player might be further ahead of him in terms of match fitness.”Which could mean the most expensive striker in the league is on the pitch while the best in the team, in terms of form and fitness, is not.