If Isak and Ekitike are in form we’ll consider playing them together, says Arne Slot
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has refused to confirm whether Alexander Isak will start Saturday’s Merseyside derby, saying the striker is still recovering from his first start in a football match in months.
Isak played just under an hour in the 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday, his first appearance for the club he joined this summer in a British-record transfer from Newcastle.
It was also his longest minutes played in a football match since May, after his summer stand-off with Newcastle saw him miss pre-season and the first four matches of the league season.
“Alex probably felt his body more than ever before after the 60 minutes he played,” said Slot. “We’ll see how he recovered today. Then we will see about the lineup later today and you will see tomorrow.”
Isak’s start against Atletico meant that Hugo Ekitike had to drop to the bench, later replacing the Swede in the 58th minute.
The £79m signing from Eintracht Frankfurt has started the season in form, scoring once in each of his first three games, although his end product has dipped slightly afterwards. Slot conceded that playing both strikers together is a possibility.
“If both of them are in the best form of their life then you consider more to play them together,” said Liverpool’s manager. “It’s quite clear that we have a certain structure of 4-3-3, but the amount of times we have ended the game with two nines has happened a lot as well.”
