Arne Slot offers Alexander Isak WARNING after record deadline day £125m deal

Liverpool signed Alexander Isak for a British record £125m on deadline day.

Isak had made it clear all summer long that he wished to depart Newcastle - playing no part in the Geordies’ preseason programme and sitting out the first three matches of their Premier League campaign too.

The 26-year-old jetted off immediately for international duty with Sweden following his arrival on a six-year contract - delaying his integration even further.

By the time he returned to settle into life at Anfield, he’d played only 20 minutes across two games for his national team and was short of proper match fitness.

Isak works his way back to fitness

It’s taken Isak quite some time to get up to speed - with Liverpool sources disclosing that we would not see the best of Isak until after the October international break.

He did however feature across six matches for Liverpool between the September and October international windows - scoring once and adding another assist.

Sweden had two woefully unsuccessful games in the international break just gone - losing to both Switzerland and Kosovo - and Isak came out of both games scoreless.

But he secured some vital minutes in the legs - going over 90 minutes twice - and now is the time that we can expect to see the best of Liverpool’s most expensive player.

Slot delivers WARNING about Isak

That’s according to Arne Slot, who in his prematch conference ahead of the Premier League game against Manchester United warned that Isak’s preseason is now over.

“Now he has had his five, six weeks of pre-season which is normal for every player, especially if you have been out for three or four months,” said the Liverpool head coach.

“Fitness-wise he is close to the level he should be and we can judge him in a fair way from now on. I know how this industry works, if he plays for Sweden twice and doesn’t score that’s not what you’re hoping for, of course.

“You are hoping if they go to the national team they score goals like Cody (Gakpo) did, like Virgil (van Dijk) did, like Dominik (Szoboszlai) did, like (Alexis) MacAllister, did but he didn’t.

“His pre-season has finished now. He has played a few games, 70, 80, 90 minutes, so let’s see where he is in the upcoming weeks.”

Now's the time for Isak to deliver

Liverpool have got an intense period of fixtures coming up - including clashes against Manchester United and Man City in the Premier League as well as Frankfurt and Real Madrid in Europe.

These are precisely the games Isak was signed to decide. The time for waiting is over.

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