Andy Cole has leapt to the defence of Alexander Isak, labelling concerns about the Liverpool striker's form since his British record transfer last summer as 'clickbait'.
Cole backs Isak after injury-hit debut
Cole, who starred for Newcastle before joining Manchester United, is the fifth-highest goalscorer in Premier League history with 187 goals. He responded to critics of the Swedish forward, who joined Liverpool in a British record £125million switch just over 12 months ago.
Isak's debut season was disrupted by poor form and a serious leg break suffered while scoring away against Tottenham last December. The 26-year-old, who arrived at Anfield short on fitness after going on strike during pre-season to force a move from Newcastle, managed just three goals in 16 matches before being sidelined for three-and-a-half months with a broken fibula.
Isak's comeback this season
Isak has started this campaign positively. After a disappointing opening day in a 2-2 draw against his former club at St James' Park, he scored three goals in two games against Nottingham Forest and Ipswich Town, including an equaliser in a 2-2 draw and a brace in a 2-0 victory.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Star Sport, via Unibet Casino, Cole argued that despite Isak being available for the first half of last season, fans have no right to criticise his performances so far.
Cole: Criticism is disrespectful
“I wouldn't say it hasn't worked, he was injured,” Cole said. “So if you're injured, obviously you've got to get yourself back on your feet, you've got to get fit again.
“You're playing in a totally different team, playing a totally different way. And I would never sit here and say it's not worked.
“It's easy for people to say it's not working because if you've not been in that position, you never know if it's working or not working.
“So everyone can jump on a bandwagon when things are not going well for certain players and say, oh, 'it's this, it's that,' or whatever, but you don't know because you're not in that position.
“I get older and I listen to a lot of people talk and fans talk and whatever, I do actually say to myself, well, I don't know if you're any good at your job. No?
“But everyone's prepared to pass judgement on players or whatever, but are you good at what you do? Who knows? Because we never see that.
“So I'm not going to sit here and say, 'oh, it's not worked, that. I mean, I'll be a p**** if I ever said that, because I've been in that position whereby it's been tough, the tough injuries, and you want to get yourself back to form as soon as possible.
“So I'm not that guy to be saying, 'oh, it's not worked that', no, I'm not that guy. And I just think when people come out with comments like that, I just think it's very disrespectful.
“You know what, it's clickbait. That's what it is.”
Cole hopes Isak finds form
Isak's brace against Ipswich has left Cole hoping the striker is back on course to finding the best form that made him so revered at Newcastle.
He added: “Yeah, I'm hoping so. As an individual, I don't want to see any individual players struggle because we all go through peaks and troughs in football. You never want to see anyone go through a bad spell, but in football it happens.
“For Isak, getting the two goals against Ipswich, he got a goal the week before. I hope that his form turns around now, he starts to believe in himself again and starts scoring goals.
“I mean, that's on a personal level. Yeah, I get it, he plays for Liverpool. I totally understand that, but on a personal level, I never want to see any player struggle, because I know what it feels like to go through a tough spell in your career.
“Coming back from injuries or whatever it may be, or listening to all the experts tell you how good you are or how bad you are, when no one actually knows what's going on.”
