Alexander Isak was not named in the Liverpool squad for the trip to Burnley with Arne Slot and his staff taking a cautious approach with their new striker.
Isak joined the champions on deadline day in a British record deal worth £125 million, and therefore expectations around the new No. 9 are high.
But despite the clamour to see him in action, Liverpool have not risked the Swede for the first game since his arrival.
This Is Anfield understands Isak has been left out of the squad to face Burnley in order to continue his focus on training.
Though he came off the bench for the final 18 minutes of Sweden’s 2-0 defeat to Kosovo on Monday, he has otherwise not trained or played regularly as part of a squad since the end of May.
Liverpool lineup: Alisson; Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of kickoff, Slot explained the decision to leave Isak out, saying: “As everybody knew, he hasn’t had any team training with Newcastle, then went to national team and only played 15 to 20 minutes.
“We think, with a week with three games, this is the best lead up for him to Atletico Madrid.”
Slot went on to suggest that Isak would be capable of playing upwards of 45 minutes in the Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.
However with a lack of training time for the squad as a hectic run of fixtures begins, the head coach told reporters in his pre-match press conference that the priority will be building his fitness.
“Don’t expect him to be, every single game, on the pitch for 90 minutes,” Slot said.
“That’s definitely not going to happen in the upcoming weeks.
“He missed a proper pre-season, I think he missed three or four months of team sessions, and so now we have to build him up gradually.
“With us playing so many games, hardly any training time, that’s going to be a challenge.
“But we’ve signed him not only for the upcoming weeks, we’ve signed him for six years.
KIRKBY, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 10: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Alexander Isak of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre on September 10, 2025 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by Nikki Dyer - LFC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
“This is what we have to keep in mind and what the fans have to keep in mind if they see me taking him off at a certain moment, or if I only bring him in for a small amount of minutes.
“That’s all for the long-term fitness of the player.”
There is a strong chance Isak will be involved against Atletico, with Slot able to name 12 substitutes in European competition.
But his attacking options from the bench at Turf Moor will be Rio Ngumoha and Federico Chiesa – both of whom have scored match-winning goals as substitutes already this season.