Former Arsenal defender Nacho Monreal has launched a passionate defence of Alexander Isak, backing the struggling Liverpool striker to silence his critics following a difficult start to his Anfield career.
A Difficult Start for the Record Signing
The Swedish international, 26, completed a British record £125million move from Newcastle United to Liverpool in September. However, his transition to Merseyside has been far from smooth, with the forward managing just one goal in eight appearances for his new club.
Isak's pre-season was severely disrupted as he effectively went on strike to force his exit from St. James' Park. He trained alone for the majority of the summer and did not feature in any of Newcastle's pre-season friendlies or their opening Premier League fixtures.
This disjointed preparation left him playing catch-up upon his arrival at Liverpool, with both club and country carefully managing his game time. His progress was further hampered when he was forced off at half-time during Liverpool's win over Eintracht Frankfurt last month, resulting in him missing four matches.
Monreal's Defiant Promise
Nacho Monreal, who played alongside Isak for two seasons at Real Sociedad, featuring in 65 matches together between 2019 and 2021, has seen enough of the striker's quality to remain utterly convinced of his ability.
"It's been very difficult for Alexander," Monreal admitted to BetMGM. "He clearly wanted to go to Liverpool at the start of the summer transfer window. The fact it didn't happen until right at the end meant he didn't get a pre-season which has clearly had a big impact on his fitness."
Monreal continued with a defiant promise: "He's not at his top level yet and still needs minutes on the pitch to get up to that top, top level but when he gets there, I have no doubt he'll prove he's one of the best strikers in the Premier League. He has done it for Newcastle over the last few seasons and he's going to do the same for Liverpool."
Liverpool's Patience and Upcoming Challenges
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has also expressed his frustration with the situation, particularly regarding Isak's recent international duty with Sweden. Isak made a brief substitute appearance in Sweden's 4-1 loss to Switzerland but was then benched for the match against Slovenia to avoid a suspension risk.
"The biggest issue we've faced until now, and [are] still facing, is the match fitness of the players and the time they've missed in pre-season," Slot explained in his pre-match press conference. "Alex [Isak], now we were hoping [for] him to play a little bit more for the Swedish national team."
Monreal concluded by dismissing any talk of the transfer fee being a waste, stating, "When you bring in a top, top striker like Isak you are going to have to pay big money for them – I doubt that when he starts scoring 20 plus goals a season many will talk about the transfer fee."
All eyes will now be on Liverpool's home fixture against Nottingham Forest this Saturday as the Reds return to Premier League action, with fans hopeful of seeing glimpses of the prolific striker they invested a record sum to acquire.
