Alexander Isak suffered a groin injury during Liverpool’s Champions League win on Wednesday night, which is something Newcastle United are very familiar with.
The striker had a couple of groin problems during his Newcastle United career, and there was even talk of him undergoing surgery to rectify it.
That did not happen at the end of the 2024/25 season, and what followed was Alexander Isak going on strike to force a move away from St James’ Park.
Now a Liverpool player, Isak is struggling. Those struggles continued on Wednesday night, as he failed to score against Eintracht Frankfurt before being substituted at half-time because of a groin problem.
It appears to be a recurring issue for the Sweden international, but the remedy to the problem is unclear.
Alexander Isak gestures during Eintracht Frankfurt vs Liverpool in the Champions League.
Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Eddie Howe said Alexander Isak did not need surgery on groin injury
The last Newcastle United game that Isak missed due to a groin injury was a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in May 2025. Having missed a game against Liverpool with a similar problem, it felt as though the forward was going to have to go under the knife.
However, Eddie Howe told the Chronicle after that Arsenal defeat that Isak’s groin problem was not going to be rectified by surgery.
“I don’t think it is a surgery issue,” he said.
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“It’s not something that needs mending.
“It is certainly something that needs looking at as to why he’s getting groin complaints. But yeah it is definitely not a surgery issue it’s what is he doing to strengthen that area, which we will look at and focus on.”
Arne Slot is wrong to take swipe at Newcastle United
Ever since he joined Liverpool, Isak’s fitness has been a hot topic of debate.
He has clearly been off the pace in a red shirt, as he feels the effects of his summer actions. Isak forced through his move to Liverpool, downing tools and training on his own while he was still being paid by Newcastle United.
His actions got the desired result, but it has massively hindered his start to life at Anfield.
In the aftermath of Isak’s latest game without a goal and subsequent groin problem, Liverpool manager Arne Slot has taken a strange swipe at Newcastle United when asked about the £125million man’s fitness.
“I don’t think there is a rule that every single player has the same,” he said.
“But it also depends on what did he do when he didn’t train with the team. What is the impact if you go to a new club as a big signing.
“So you cannot compare a player who hasn’t trained or played in pre-season for a smaller club than Liverpool. There are many factors that you have to take into account.”
Slot’s comment is incredibly strange. To call Newcastle United a ‘smaller club’ is totally unnecessary, while it detracts from the reality of the situation.
No matter the size of the club he was at, the reason Isak is nowhere near match fit and is playing catch up is because he decided not to train with his now former teammates.
Of course, Slot is not going to point the finger at his own player for what he did over the summer, but to insinuate that Newcastle United are at fault is massively unfair.