Latest Liverpool news as Jamie Carragher names strongest Reds front four with Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike verdicts
Jamie Carragher says Alexander Isak takes Hugo Ekitike's place in the Liverpool starting line-up
Jamie Carragher says Alexander Isak takes Hugo Ekitike's place in the Liverpool starting line-up
(Image: Sky Sports Premier League)
Jamie Carragher believes Alexander Isak pushes Hugo Ekitike out of Liverpool's strongest starting front four. The club legend gave his verdict as Arne Slot opted against handing Isak his debut against Burnley.
Isak didn't travel to be a part of the squad who beat the Clarets 1-0 on Sunday afternoon. The striker completed a £125m transfer on deadline day and has only played 18 minutes of football this season during the international break, therefore his fitness is being carefully managed by his new club.
Slot picked the tried and trusted attacking line-up that had started all four of Liverpool's previous competitive matches this season.
A front three of Mohamed Salah, Hugo Ekitike, and Cody Gakpo were supported by attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz - and it took Salah's injury-time penalty to secure all three points at Turf Moor.
Ekitike, another summer signing in a £79m deal with Eintracht Frankfurt, has made a promising start to life in England with three goals and one assist in his first three of his four starts before the meeting with Burnley.
However, Carragher told Sky Sports Premier League that he feels the club would not have spent the amount they did on Isak without pushing Ekitike down the pecking order in a central role.
"Well, Isak fits into the centre forward [role]. I think when you pay that much money for somebody and he is of the quality he is, I think it'd be [a] similar situation to Salah," the former defender explained.
"Whenever you go and see Liverpool play, you'd expect to see Salah on the right and you'd expect to see Isak as the centre forward. The rest will have to fill in around that, whether that is going to the left for Ekitike.
"Don't forget Gakpo's there, and he's not bad. He's one of the best left-sided attacking players in the Premier League.
"You've got Wirtz off the front as well, so that would, I imagine, be Liverpool's first-choice front four. Ekitike can obviously fill in for Isak, maybe play with him at times, and play from the left."
Liverpool striker Alexander Isak during training session.
Alexander Isak cost Liverpool £125million from Newcastle
Putting his trust in the head coach, Carragher added: "There's plenty of games, plenty of minutes to go around and I'm sure the manager knows what he is doing."
Slot also has Federico Chiesa and 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha as attacking options. Both came off the bench against Burnley.
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