Alexander Isak will pull on a Liverpool shirt for the first time since May when the £125m striker faces Leeds at Chicago's Soldier Field on Sunday. The most expensive footballer in British football is back under new boss Andoni Iraola, ready to make up for a debut season disrupted by injury and late arrival.
A difficult path to Anfield
This time last year, Isak was training alone at his former club Real Sociedad after refusing to travel on Newcastle United's pre-season tour of the Far East – an unsanctioned detour that left Newcastle chiefs furious. A minor muscle injury was cited at the time, but the Sweden international was pressing the nuclear button in his efforts to leave St James' Park.
He felt promises had been broken by the club, particularly over a new deal promised by former minority shareholder Amanda Staveley before incoming sporting director Paul Mitchell pulled the plug after her departure. The eventual move to Merseyside was drawn-out and widely criticised, but Newcastle and their owners, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, were so insistent their star man stay that Isak almost certainly would not have been transferred had he not agitated so forcefully.
A season disrupted by injury
The lack of a pre-season schedule meant Isak arrived after the Premier League season had started and was well off the pace. An immediate international break saw him whisked off to Sweden just after completing his move on September 1, and with two further international breaks in October and November, Liverpool struggled to get their No.9 up to speed despite a bespoke fitness regime.
His first Premier League goal came at West Ham United at the end of November. A second, in a 2-1 win over Tottenham on December 20, proved to be his last for over four months after Micky van de Ven's tackle ended with Isak hobbling off with a broken leg. Surgery quickly corrected the ankle injury with a fibula fracture, keeping him sidelined until April.
With the World Cup approaching, Isak's fitness fears were understandable. He enjoyed a decent showing at the competition, scoring a goal and creating three assists, and is now back on club duty ready to make a mark.
Iraola: "He is going to be massive for us"
Speaking in Thursday's Chicago press conference, Iraola said: "Alex is exciting. He has come to pre-season in a good place, had a good World Cup, feeling comfortable. His first training here, still early but I hope he can play against Leeds and have a proper pre-season. It is not long, but three or four weeks of quality training, I hope and he is in a good place because he is going to be massive for us."
With Mohamed Salah, the top scorer in eight of his nine seasons, no longer on Merseyside, the goalscoring burden falls on Isak, who plundered 44 goals in his final two Premier League seasons at Newcastle. It may not be too much of a stretch to suggest the success of the Iraola era rests on him rediscovering the form that made him one of the most feared and gifted frontmen in the country.
Fowler backs Isak to cope with the price tag
Robbie Fowler, speaking on the pre-season tour of the United States, believes the price tag will not weigh on Isak: "If it was me, the price tag would not bother me. The players are focused on doing well, it is left to others to talk about money. Price tags are only one thing the clubs put on a player. For me, it would not bother me, whether that's my mentality, I don't know… some players don't have that. Alexander is world-class and the price tag won't bother him either. He has everything in the locker, exciting when he drives with the ball, he makes things happen. He excites the fans which is imperative for a club like Liverpool."
After too long away from truly exciting supporters, Isak gets his chance to change that this Sunday at Chicago's Soldier Field, simply by stepping onto the pitch.
