Arne Slot drops hint over what Liverpool will do with Alexander Isak against Burnley
Arne Slot has spoken about the possibility of Alexander Isak making his Liverpool debut against Burnley.
Liverpool signed Isak on deadline day for a record £125million and now there is much interest over when Britain’s most expensive player will make his club debut.
The Reds will travel to Burnley for Sunday’s early kick off with a win set to keep the champions top of the table.
Although Slot knows the importance of leaving Turf Moor with a win, he is adamant he won’t rush his new No. 9 into action.
Arne Slot confirms Alexander Isak not ready for full Liverpool debut
Following Isak’s fall out with Newcastle United, the 25-year-old failed to feature competitively for several months, including missing an entire pre-season.
His most recent appearance came on international break where he played just over 20 minutes for Sweden, and Slot has confirmed he plans on taking the same approach this weekend.
Slot will almost certainly name Isak among the Liverpool substitutes and go with an attack featuring Hugo Ekitike, Mohamed Salah and the in-form Cody Gakpo.
When Isak could make first Liverpool start
With the fixtures coming thick and fast, there are no guarantees over when Isak could make his first full Liverpool start.
The Reds have six more fixtures to play in September including the Merseyside Derby (20 September) so Slot will have a lot of planning and man management to do.
Liverpool’s Carabao Cup game against Southampton (23 September) comes after the Merseyside Derby; a notoriously hostile fixture and one Slot is unlikely to throw Isak into for his first start.
So, realistically, fans should probably expect their record signing to get a few minutes under his belt in each of their games leading up to their home tie against the Saints.
Either way, given Slot’s words recently, Isak will not be named among the Liverpool starters for their game against Burnley.