Liverpool have suffered four straight defeats and Reds boss Arne Slot has been told he needs to make a key change in the near future to get the best out of his team
Alexander Isak reacts during Liverpool's defeat to Manchester United at Anfield
Alexander Isak has struggled to make an impact so far at Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
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Arne Slot has been urged to reinstate Hugo Ekitike to Liverpool's starting line-up ahead of British-record signing Alexander Isak. Swedish striker Isak joined the Reds from Newcastle for £125million in early September, but has so far registered just one goal in seven appearances across all competitions.
The 26-year-old managed only one shot on target on Sunday as Liverpool slumped to a 2-1 defeat at home to Manchester United in the Premier League. It was the Reds' fourth loss in a row despite a strong start to their campaign in which Ekitike was deployed to good effect, with five goals to his name in total.
Former United goalkeeper Ben Foster now believes Liverpool boss Slot has some big decisions to make in the coming weeks, including whether to restore Ekitike to his starting XI in place of Isak.
Speaking on his Fozcast podcast, the ex-England and Wrexham shot-stopper said: "I'm surprised by Liverpool, because it's been a little bit clunky, whereas you look at last season and everything was free flowing.
"Even earlier in the season with Ekitike up there, it looked a lot easier on the eye, whereas now it just looks like Isak didn't even get a kick. He didn't ever look like he was going to score. That's the bit for me where I think they might have to start making some really difficult choices in the next few weeks."
Ekitike signed for Liverpool in July from Eintracht Frankfurt, who the Reds will face in the Champions League on Wednesday night. The deal for the French striker is potentially worth as much as £79m and was penned after he plundered 26 goals in 64 games for the Bundesliga outfit.
Hugo Ekitike
Hugo Ekitike started the season in fine form after signing for Liverpool in the summer transfer window
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The 23-year-old started on the bench against United with Isak picked ahead of him. However, the Swede struggled to make an impact after firing straight at goalkeeper Senne Lammens with the one chance he had.
Wayne Rooney is another ex-United star who believes Ekitike should be preferred to Isak up front, despite the latter's hefty price tag. He said Isak's lack of pre-season action, a result of his prolonged and acrimonious departure from Newcastle, was largely to blame for his difficult start to life at Anfield.
Speaking on his BBC podcast, Rooney said: "I wouldn't play Isak, he hasn't looked ready since coming from Newcastle. He hasn't trained, hasn't had a pre-season. It's so important. While Newcastle were training he was probably sat at home on the phone to his agent for six hours a day trying to get a move.
"It's so difficult when you don't have a pre-season. He might've done stuff by himself but he's paying the price of it. On performances, he doesn't deserve to be playing ahead of Ekitike."
The ultimate decision on whether Ekitike should start lies with Slot as he aims to arrest Liverpool's alarming dip in form in recent games. And while Isak's move from Newcastle might have grabbed more headlines over the summer, Ekitike's performances to date present a strong argument for why he should be ahead in the pecking order.
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