Alexander Isak broke his leg and injured his ankle on December 20 in a match against Tottenham after a challenge from Micky van de Ven, and had not played since due to the injury. Liverpool described the injury as 'an ankle injury that included a fibula fracture'. According to manager Arne Slot, the injury has had a massive impact on Liverpool's season, contributing to low goal-scoring rates.
8% last season, while Isak's chance-conversion rate was 19% last season and 21% the year before. The incident occurred during a match where Tottenham's Xavi Simons was sent-off for a late tackle on Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk earlier. Micky van de Ven escaped any punishment for his challenge on Isak.
Maybe a couple of minutes.
Isak joined Conor Bradley and Cody Gakpo as injured Liverpool players at the time, while Mohamed Salah's departure to AFCON exacerbated selection headaches, and despite injury woes and a poor run, Liverpool sat fifth in the Premier League at Christmas, ten points adrift of top spot. Isak made his first minutes since the injury via a substitute appearance away against PSG last week. He also came on as a substitute in Saturday's Premier League match at home against Fulham.
In the Champions League quarterfinal second leg against PSG, Isak started up front alongside Hugo Ekitiké. He played one half in that match and was substituted out at the start of the second half. In the return match, Isak did not get many balls to work with when Liverpool tried to turn around a 0–2 deficit from the match in Paris.
We are not playing a 'normal' match. It could go to extra time, which makes it difficult if he can only play ten minutes. We can of course substitute him out again.
Manager Arne Slot stated that Isak will be available for the Champions League quarter-final against PSG, though likely only for minutes off the bench. He also said fans will see the best of Isak next season. Slot emphasized that Isak is still a bit away from team training and will not play with the U21 team during the break, and if Isak were ready for team training, he would have played for Sweden.
Alexander Isak is training fully with Liverpool again after his leg fracture in December. Isak is back running on grass and might play in an Under-21 game or friendly before returning to first-team action. It has been communicated from Liverpool that Isak is expected to be back in training at the end of March or beginning of April.
Maybe a couple of minutes, but we have to wait and see how he feels.
Isak's exact current fitness level and match readiness remain unclear, as does the specific timeline for his full return to match fitness. Whether he will play for Sweden in the upcoming international matches is also uncertain, with his availability for Sweden's World Cup playoff against Ukraine at the end of March remaining to be seen, and it likely won't be many minutes on the pitch. Slot is excited to have Alexander Isak back, noting Liverpool has had more goal chances than opponents in 90% of matches and having a top striker would likely mean more points.
The impact of his absence has been significant, with the team's attacking performance suffering during his recovery period. Isak cost Liverpool £125 million, a British-record signing. He scored 54 goals in three seasons at Newcastle, with 44 in the last two.
Alexander Isak faces 'a couple of months' out injured after a 'reckless' challenge by Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven.
Isak missed pre-season at Newcastle to force his move to Liverpool, affecting his initial fitness, and had a groin problem in October during a 5-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, hampering his recovery. With barely 20 minutes left to play, Liverpool's hopes of advancing in the Champions League were extinguished. Ousmane Dembélé secured the reigning champion PSG's place in this year's semifinal with his goal from distance and also scored the 2–0 goal in stoppage time.
Barcelona was eliminated from the Champions League. Barcelona had the same starting position as Liverpool away against Atlético Madrid. After 24 minutes of play in the Spanish capital, the 0–2 deficit was erased after goals by Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres.
Xavi Simons' tackle was 'completely unintentional' and unlikely to cause injury, unlike Van de Ven's tackle which he called reckless and likely to cause serious injury.
After just over half an hour, Atlético Madrid was again a semifinal team when Ademola Lookman scored the reduction in the match, taking Atlético through in the tournament with 3–2 on aggregate. The Swedish national team player Roony Bardghji was substituted in in the 89th minute for Barcelona. Champions League quarterfinals included Arsenal–Sporting Lisbon (1–0) and Bayern Munich–Real Madrid (2–1), with semifinals played on April 28–29 and May 5–6, and the final on May 30 in Budapest, Hungary.
In the PSG match, Hugo Ekitiké was forced to leave the pitch on a stretcher after half an hour. Ekitiké fell without close contact with any opponent and grabbed his foot. Mohamed Salah and Alisson are injured and will miss the match against Brighton, with Salah also missing Egypt's international friendlies.
Available players must 'roll their sleeves up' and give everything ahead of hosting Wolves.
Salah's injury is a muscle issue not thought to be serious or long-term. Arne Slot is hopeful that Alisson will be ready to play against Tottenham on Sunday. According to Alan Shearer, Isak's performance in the PSG match was criticized, noting he had only five touches and did not look fit.
This criticism highlights concerns about Isak's match sharpness as he returns from injury. Isak is not expected to play for Sweden in the international matches against Ukraine and potentially Poland/Albania in March. His availability for the national team remains a key unknown as he continues his recovery.
Liverpool will not be spending heavily in the January transfer window.
Alexander Isak can make a comeback against Manchester City in the FA Cup. Tomorrow, it is possible that Isak gets playing time again, and a tough clash in the FA Cup awaits when Liverpool faces Manchester City. Much suggests that the Swede could be available to play again then.
Liverpool have had numerous injuries this season, affecting squad depth and forcing players out of position. Federico Chiesa has started training with the team again, indicating some relief in the squad crisis. How Liverpool will manage Isak's minutes upon his return to avoid re-injury is uncertain, as is the impact his return will have on the team's goal-scoring and league performance.
Liverpool have conceded fewer chances recently and been a bit more lucky, with recent wins against Spurs and Brighton being more equal games.
These factors will be closely watched as the season progresses.
He had only five touches and did not look fit.