Joe Hart has claimed that Alexander Isak is still not trusted at Liverpool despite scoring his first goal of the season. The Swedish striker joined Liverpool from Newcastle last summer in a £125million move, but his debut campaign was disrupted by injury and he scored just four times.
Isak opened his account for the new season in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest. However, apart from that goal, he looked isolated in Andoni Iraola's system, and Hart believes the forward has not yet earned the trust of his teammates.
Hart's analysis of Isak's role
Speaking to BBC Sport, Hart said: "It is clear that Liverpool haven't worked out how to play with Alexander Isak yet. At Newcastle everything flowed through him."
"That was down to a trust thing that they had built up over time - their midfield knew exactly where he was and they didn't even need to look up as he'd be there waiting. At Liverpool that trust just isn't there at the moment - no-one is feeling it and he isn't that central point, which is leading to him looking lost and isolated."
Hart added: "Andoni Iraola has some big decisions to make. Does he base his team round him [Isak] or does he try to find a different solution within his squad? In my opinion he's got to commit to what the club have done by investing so heavily in Isak."
Isak's response on the season so far
"There's no point signing these players if you aren't going to use them properly and play to their strengths. There's no doubting Isak's quality - they are just at a bit of a crossroads at the moment," Hart concluded.
While Hart believes Isak still has work to do, the striker himself has had his say on Liverpool's stuttering start to the season and believes they will hit top form with time. He said: "I think there's no problem in fighting spirit and never giving up. I think we showed that last week as well. Obviously we started the game pretty bad today as well. When we gained momentum by scoring a goal, that's where we need to be better, I think, because again today we conceded quite quickly after that. But from the position we were [in], it's always good to get something out of the game."
He added: "It's been good [working under Iraola]. There's always time to get used to a new playing style and a new manager. But we are really working hard to try to play the game he wants us to play and I think when we start doing that better, I have no doubt that the results will come."
