Alexander Isak has acknowledged he is still working towards full fitness after making only his second Premier League start for Liverpool in Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Chelsea. The Swedish striker joined the Reds from Newcastle United on deadline day for £125 million, having missed a proper pre-season due to his refusal to train or play for the Magpies.
Isak missed Newcastle's pre-season tour of the Far East in July due to injury and subsequently trained with former club Real Sociedad without Newcastle's permission. Upon returning to Tyneside, he was made to train in isolation. Since arriving at Liverpool, the 26-year-old has been following a specific fitness programme devised by manager Arne Slot and his conditioning team.
Slot has previously stated that Isak will not be considered fully match-ready until after the October international break. The forward played 74 minutes at Stamford Bridge, setting up Cody Gakpo's equaliser with a clever touch before the hosts conceded a late winner.
Reflecting on his performance, Isak said: 'I feel good. I've been working hard to get back to my best and I'm still working to get to my best form. It was good to play out there again. I was hoping for a different result but we'll keep working.' He added: 'I think we started off pretty badly and we worked our way into the game pretty well... In the end, it's obviously tough conceding in the last minute like that.'
The striker expressed optimism for the season ahead, stating: 'I'm very excited for the whole season... Game by game we have to improve if we want to achieve the things we want to.' He also emphasised the team's belief: 'I think the belief is there that we can improve results. This team has shown that many times.'
