Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey believes Alexander Isak is finally starting to show why he cost the club £125m last year. It is 13 months since Isak became the most expensive player in British football history when he traded Newcastle United for Liverpool on transfer deadline day.
The first year on Merseyside did not go to plan for the Sweden striker. Arriving unfit after a lack of a pre-season schedule, which stemmed from the acrimonious nature of his move from Tyneside, Isak then picked up a handful of minor injuries before suffering a broken leg in December that sidelined him for four months.
However, the 27-year-old has looked more like the player who scored 44 times over two Premier League campaigns for Newcastle this season, with four goals for Andoni Iraola's unbeaten Reds, including a winner in the most recent fixture at Bournemouth before the international break.
Heskey praises Isak's movement
Heskey, who himself became a club-record signing at Anfield when he moved for £11m from Leicester City in 2000, thinks Isak is looking more like his old self so far this term.
"I'm not sure about what to add to his game because he is what he is," Heskey told Rekatochklart.com. "I like his movement. He's getting chances, and creating chances."
"You're going to miss some anyway. I love the runs that he's making. He looks sharper now, like he was when he was at Newcastle. That comes with games, the more and more you play."
"I like his movement, I like his runs. I think he's coming back to his best now because people are seeing him making the runs now."
Isak's thigh injury concern
Isak suffered a thigh injury on international duty and returned to Merseyside at the start of the week for further assessment by Liverpool's medical staff. Sweden boss Graham Potter insisted the problem was not a major one.
"He's got a small problem with his thigh. It's not a big one but because of the amount of games we've got in a small space of time, he won't be able to make those," Potter said.
"Not a big one but it's frustrating for him and obviously for us. It is what it is but we move forward with the players we have."
"It was during the game. Like anything, you sometimes get bumps and bruises in the game, you might think it's a bit of a dead leg or something. But actually as the 24 hours, 48 hours after the game, not quite what you think."
"Unfortunately after getting it checked out, it's a little bit more than what you think during the match. He has to miss the rest of the camp."
"Our medical team has been in contact with the club. Obviously it's our decision in the first place because of his status, in terms of his injury. Once that's the case, we have to inform everybody. That's just normal."
The Reds are also sweating on the fitness of Gakpo after he withdrew from the Netherlands squad after suffering an ankle injury in their 2-1 victory over Serbia in the Nations League on Sunday. Liverpool return to action on Sunday, October 11 with a huge Premier League game at home to Manchester City.
