From fans to Arne Slot himself, many face a nervous wait to find out how long Alexander Isak will spend on the sidelines after picking up an injury in Liverpool's 2-1 away win against Tottenham Hotspur – and goalkeeper Alisson Becker provided a short update following the match.
A dreary first half, perhaps thanks to Xavi Simons' sending off following a rash challenge on compatriot Virgil van Dijk, needed something special to turn it around and Slot opted to bring on Isak at the half-time interval. It took the striker 11 minutes to make an impact in the final third.
The Isak of old shone through as he latched onto a pass from Florian Wirtz and swept home beyond Guglielmo Vicario with his left-footed effort, but he was caught by Micky van de Ven's late challenge and, therefore, had to be stretchered off. Hugo Ekitike soon added a second of the affair.
It's no secret that Isak's start to life hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows, but his goal against Spurs offered something of a platform for him to rise above the undying pressures of playing for a club the size and stature of the Anfield outfit. Van de Ven's challenge, however, put an end to that.
Isak, widely regarded as one of the best strikers in world football, had to be helped off the field of play with a stretcher by medical staff. "I don’t have any news on him but if a player scores, gets injured and doesn’t come back on the pitch or doesn’t try to come back, it’s usually not a good thing," Slot said after the win. "I cannot say anything more than that. That is just a gut feeling and nothing more than that.
"Nothing medical to say about it. I haven’t spoken to him about it yet but it’s a good thing he scored — a good goal assisted by Florian Wirtz. Let’s not be too negative yet. We don’t know yet. Let’s hope Alex is back with us soon but it is difficult to say.”
All attention was on the former Newcastle United talisman despite the victory on away soil and injury expert Physio Scout (on X, formerly Twitter) claimed that he could face anywhere between two and 12 weeks on the sidelines as the current diagnosis is very cloudy. They claimed that such a tackle can place stress on the knee structure with potential damage to the MCL and ACL.
They added that the most likely outcome would be that 26-year-old Isak sprained his ankle following contact from Van de Ven, resulting in him missing at least a two-month period of matches.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Alexander Isak holds the record for the most goals scored by a Swedish player in a single Premier League season, netting 23 goals for Newcastle United during the 2024/25 campaign.
The Athletic's Liverpool Correspondent, James Pearce, took to social media in the aftermath of victory last night to inform supporters that the Reds now face 'an anxious wait' to understand the severity of the Swedish striker's injury, though it is suspected to be a lower leg issue rather than his knee. Alisson also shed light on Isak's situation.
"Yeah, I think he'll be okay," the shot stopper said before sharing his delight at Isak's opener. "Happy for him for scoring the goal but, of course, we don't want him to be injured. Hopefully it's just a knock and nothing too serious because he can help our team so much with his quality."
With just three Liverpool goals to his name since his summer switch, Isak's goal against Spurs put an end to a four-match goal drought for the ex-Real Sociedad and Borussia Dortmund marksman – but, depending on the severity of said injury, it may be a while until he is able to add more to his tally.
Isak Out? Ekitike Set to Become Even More Crucial to Arne Slot
Liverpool's No.9 has struggled to adapt since moving to Liverpool in the summer for a whopping fee of £125 million, which begs the question about whether the goalscoring burden is too much for the Swede? That shouldn't be an issue for the Anfield faithful, though, as Hugo Ekitike is stepping up to the plate.
Initially, when both signings were confirmed, there were concerns about how they could work in tandem – possibly in a two-man strike partnership which, if fruitful, would strike fear into backlines all across Europe. A man that can make things happen, Ekitike has, however, shouldered much of the responsibility thus far.
The goal-getter from Sweden posted a career-best Premier League campaign in 2024/25, netting 23 times and providing six assists in 34 appearances for Eddie Howe's Magpies and Liverpool fans can expect the same level of potency in front of goal once he's signing from the same hymn sheet as his teammates.