Arne Slot has further outlined Liverpool’s plan for Alexander Isak, with the Reds reluctant to rush the £125 million ($170m) striker into making his debut. Isak has, after completing a record-breaking transfer from Newcastle to Anfield, become the most expensive player in British football. He is, however, lacking fitness and sharpness on the back of a hectic summer.

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  Why is Isak short of match fitness?

  With Isak pushing for a move away from St James’ Park, he went to the extreme of going on strike at one stage. That prevented him from completing a normal pre-season, with training sessions and friendly outings passing him by.

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  Liverpool fixtures: Next up for the Reds

  Liverpool are now having to get the 25-year-old forward up to speed, with the decision taken not to risk him in a Premier League clash with Burnley that required Mohamed Salah to net a 95th-minute penalty and keep Slot’s side perfect at the start of the 2025-26 campaign.

  A Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid is next on the agenda, followed by a derby date with Merseyside neighbours Everton, with Slot explaining how Isak could be eased into competitive action across those fixtures.

• Slot explains delay in Isak's debut

  Liverpool’s Dutch coach told reporters when asked again about when Isak will be let off the leash: “He did recovery [today]. He had a hard and tough session yesterday. It’s not that difficult to understand. If you start the season when the players have been off for three, four, five weeks, you give them a certain base and a lot of good sessions before they are able to play 45 minutes at the end of the week. We got him from Newcastle in a state where his pre-season is going to start now. He needs proper minutes of training before he has a certain base, let alone for him to play twice in three days.

  “We try to prepare players at the beginning of the season to play once a week and then we try to do more and more before we go into the rhythm of two games a week so they are ready from that schedule. Now, Alex is far from ready for that schedule of three games a week, 90 minutes. Today, we could have used him for five minutes and 10 on Wednesday, but we don’t believe that is the way to build him up.”

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  Will Isak figure against Atletico & Everton?

  Slot added, with Isak having taken in 18 minutes of World Cup qualifying action with Sweden during the international break: “In Sweden, they did the right thing of giving him good sessions without playing him a lot. But if you play the player, you cannot give him good sessions.

  “We did the same and now he will be able – either Wednesday or Saturday – to play 45 as a minimum, maybe a bit more. But if he plays 45 on Wednesday, don’t expect to play 45 or more on Saturday because his body is not prepared for that, in our opinion.”

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